Sri Lanka’s Central Environmental Authority(CEA) implements a noise pollution control programme to create awareness on over-use of vehicle horns disturbing and upsetting road users, including pedestrians. Such road behaviour could also lead to serious but avoidable accidents, CEA officials said.The bus drivers are the major offenders who use the size of their vehicles and the [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Vehicle noise pollution to be curbed

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Sri Lanka’s Central Environmental Authority(CEA) implements a noise pollution control programme to create awareness on over-use of vehicle horns disturbing and upsetting road users, including pedestrians. Such road behaviour could also lead to serious but avoidable accidents, CEA officials said.The bus drivers are the major offenders who use the size of their vehicles and the loud sound of their horns to bully road users causing noise pollution, they added.

The loud tooting of horns is a major contributor to noise pollution in the city. It will lead to deafness among road users as a result of all this road noise.Noise pollution by vehicles is mainly caused by drivers of heavy vehicles such as those who drive buses, Lorries and tippers whose vehicles are fixed with air horns, a CEA official said. The CEA, under Act No. 47 of 1980, has introduced rules and regulations to control ‘industrial’ noise and ‘community’ noise.

According to the law, drivers cannot toot horns with sound levels exceeding 105 decibels within a two metre range. Similarly, such sound or noise emanated should not exceed 93 decibels within a seven metre range. With the aim of creating awareness on these rules and regulations among motorist and control the noise pollution, the CEA has organized this programme, chairman of the Authority Prof. Lal Marvin Darmasiri said.
This programme was conducted recently at Colombo Main Bus stand (CTB) and Gunasinghepura Bus Stand.

Central Environmental Authority has introduced standards for controlling vehicle horn noise under the National Environmental Act. According to the detection made by CEA officials during the programme , 83.3 percent of buses have exceeded the noise level in Gunasinghepura Bus Stand and 84.2 per cent buses have exceeded the noise level in Colombo Main Bus stand (CTB).Action has been taken to rectify this matter and within 10 days, drivers were directed to adjust the bus horns according to the standards.

Chairman of CEA, Prof. Lal Marvin Darmasiri stated that health problems such as depression, high blood Pressure, hearing problems can cause due to sound pollution. “Therefore, we have to control vehicle horn noise at least in the metropolitan area to prevent the ill effects of noise pollution, he added.. This programme was conducted successfully with the help of Department of Motor Traffic, Industrial Technology Institute and Environmental Police Unit.

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