Scenario of Traffic Noise Pollution and its impact on human health: An Empirical Case Study of Kolkata City

The recognition of noise as an environmental problem and its impact both on community and occupational environment is rapidly growing. Every day several thousands of vehicles are moving in and around Kolkata city and it creates immense heavy traffic congestion and severe noise pollution in the city. Therefore most of the major arterial roads in North, South and Central Kolkata are experienced huge vehicular congestion during peak and lean hours and it crosses the permissible limit of standard decibel of noise level as maintained by Central as well as West Bengal Pollution Control Board and this permissible limit is identified as 40-50 decibel in silent zone, 55-60 decibel in commercial zone and 80-85 decibel in heavy traffic zone. Therefore some busiest traffic intersection points of north, south and central Kolkata have been selected to make the research paper evident. While it has been compared among all the megacities in India, Kolkata placed its first position and it is because of immense vehicular traffic, bad condition of road, speed of the vehicles, narrow space of the road, occurring traffic congestion, more prone to accident followed by unscientific diversion of traffic which create positively noise pollution throughout the city. However high level of noise pollution effect on human health and it creates auditory disorder, problem of blood circulation, unconditional effect on brain and hormones followed by some psychological and personological effect among the residents of Kolkata. Therefore in this research paper an attempt has been made to point out the scenario of noise pollution in and around Kolkata city and its immense effect on body and mind among the civilian of Kolkata followed by some remedial suggestions and mitigation strategies through which this noise level should reduce in coming future and Kolkata will be placed as a sustainable city in next future.