Dhaka is world’s most noise polluted city while Moradabad in India is second noisiest: UNEP Report

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, has been ranked as the most noise polluted city globally, according to the recent ‘Annual Frontier Report, 2022’ published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
As per the report, the city recorded a noise pollution of 119 decibels at its highest (dB) in 2021.
Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad came second in the list with a noise pollution of 114 decibels.
Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan is third, with maximum noise pollution of 105 dB.
The WHO guidelines states that sounds with a frequency of over 70 dB are considered harmful to health. For residential areas, sound limit of 55-dB are standard, while for traffic and business sectors, this limit is 70 dB.
A total of 61 cities from around the world have been ranked in the report, out of which 13 cities are from South Asia, while 5 among them are from India. The other four most noise polluted cities in India in the list are Kolkata (89 dB), Asansol (89 dB), Jaipur (84 dB), and Delhi (83 dB).
Meanwhile, the quietest cities in the world as per the report are Irbrid at 60 dB, Lyon at 69 dB, Madrid at 69 dB, Stockholm at 70 dB, and Belgrade at 70 dB.

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