road traffic noise: a case study of balasore town, orissa, india

transportation sector is one of the major contributors to noise in the urban areas. the traffic noise environment in balasore, a city of orissa, india in terms of standard noise indices, community response and community health effects are worked out in the present study. noise pollution is assessed in six different squares (road sections) of the town. it is inferred that the noise levels are more than permissible limit in all the six investigated locations of balasore. a preliminary survey adopting questionnaire method amongst 212 local inhabitants also carried out to gather secondary information about the suffering of noise related health problems.