Magnitude and Impact Analysis of Road Traffic Noise Pollution at Port City Chittagong, Bangladesh

Chittagong is the biggest and only port city of Bangladesh. Though Dhaka is the capital but heavy traffic noise pollution is a common phenomenon in port city Chittagong, as it is the commercial capital of Bangladesh. This study provides road traffic noise pollution analysis of Chittagong as well its effects on inhabitants of the city. For computing the magnitude of the traffic noise this big city is divided into 11 segments according to the pressure and magnitude of vehicle based on past 10 year experience. Statistical noise index L10 (18 hour) was measured and computed at these 11 segments which consist of 12 stations. The average of two nearby stations is taken as the noise levels of particular segment. British standard of Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN) method was used to finalize the present and future noise levels at these 12 stations. CRTN method is very effective for predicting noise levels in Chittagong because the CRTN emphasizes those factors which are very much related to this city. Studies showed that Chittagong is environmentally polluted with noise continuously and the ranges of noise levels are 75.29 to 90.12 dB (A) which exceeds the maximum allowable limit of 65 dB (A). By CRTN method future noise levels also predicted and which is undoubtedly higher than the present. To evaluate the impacts on community and inhabitants, a social survey was carried and from the survey it was evident that the community, who lives in Chittagong city, is very much worried about this noise pollution as many of them live beside the main roads. Noise pollution is an important factor for transformation of city dwellers to any quieter areas.