Three Bangkok communities suffering bad noise pollution
A community in Bangkok’s Din Daeng area has been suffering from the worst noise pollution in the city, and the biggest cause is road traffic, a recent study shows.
Pralong Dumrongthai, director general of the Pollution Control Department, revealed on Friday that the Karnkeha Din Daeng Committee, based in a government housing project, suffers average daily noise levels of 71.6 to 81.6 decibel of A-weighting.
A-weighting is commonly used for the measurement of environmental and industrial noise, as well as when assessing potential hearing damage.
The safe limit is no more than 70 decibels on average in a 24-hour period.
“Noise pollution is a threat to physical and mental health,” Pralong said, adding that prolonged exposure to severe noise pollution can cause temporary or permanent loss of hearing.
His department has been monitoring noise levels across the country and found that the Karnkeha Din Daeng Community suffers the highest level of noise pollution.
The second-most polluted area is near the Thon Buri sub-power station, where average noise levels range between 69.3 and 72.1 decibel A, while the third most polluted is near the Karnkeha Huai Kwang Community, also living in a government housing complex, where noise levels range between 63.1 and 83.4 decibel A.
Pralong said he has alerted relevant authorities about the noise pollution, and believes that if vehicle owners fully comply with laws governing their car’s exhaust pipes and related systems, the noise pollution will reduce.