As loud as chainsaw at close range? Kanwar Yatra boomboxes deafen Delhi above permitted limits, law on mute
Delhi Traffic Police has designated 8 Kanwar corridors along the city’s busiest arterials, including Ring Road, Mathura Road, Wazirabad Road. Grand Trunk Road.
A recent study recorded noise levels as high as 110 decibels at rest camps during the Kanwar Yatra in eastern Delhi, surpassing legal limits and comparable to the sound of a chainsaw at close range. These high decibel readings, occurring between 80 and 88 decibels, are 25 to 33 decibels above the residential daytime limit set by the Central Pollution Control Board.
The trucks have been traversing the capital for a week, with Saturday marking the peak of the three-day yatra. Despite designated noise control measures, loudspeakers broke the law, with police unable to enforce the rules once the vehicles entered Delhi. The high-frequency, low-pitched sound from the boomboxes poses a significant risk to residents' health, potentially causing auditory fatigue, tinnitus, and long-term damage to inner ear cells, especially for children and the elderly.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
