Immersion procession noise remains high

For the first time in 13 years, students were not allowed to record levels at Limbaraj Maharaj chowk at 4 pm.

College of Engineering Pune, students monitored noise levels and registered musical instruments like dhol crossed permissible limits. Average noise level was 96.3 dB

At 4 pm on Monday and at 8 am on Tuesday, sound levels from festivities, as the city bid adieu to their favourite deity during the immersion procession (visarjan) crossed permissible limits, though it was lower than last year’s high.
Students of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP), who monitored noise levels for the 13th consecutive year during the festival, said the sound created by traditional instruments dhol tasha, pakhwaj and electronic music on the last day of Ganesh festival continues to cross permissible limits. Average noise level of 96.3 decibels was recorded at al chowks on immersion day (Visarjan). Noise levels crossed 100 dB at 8 am.

Mahesh Shindikar, member of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and assistant professor, applied science department of COEP and his team have been monitoring noise levels at Lakshmi Road on the last day of Ganesh festival.

Noise levels have been consistently rising and while the festival was loudest in 2013 —- average reading showed levels as high as 114.4 decibels —- this year, average reading was 96.3 dB.

Volunteers Sadanand Kurukwad, Shrikant Kamble, Santosh Sukhdave, Rahul Pawar, Rashtrapal Nagrale, Vijay Mane, Ashutosh Bajad, Nitin Meshram, Krunal Jadhav, Krunal Parteti, Vaibhav Ghadavle and Sumit Khapne from the Board of Students Welfare of COEP completed sound level monitoring at 10 important crossroads along Lakshmi Road.

Readings were taken using Lutron SL 4001 audiometres every four hours and from 12 noon on Monday and ended at 8 am on Tuesday. Apart from COEP, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been monitoring noise pollution at various cities during the Ganesh festival. According to noise pollution rules, permissible noise level during the day is 50dB in silence zones and 55dB in residential areas.

“We found noise loudest at 4 pm on September 8 and at 8 am on September 9 as both dhol tasha groups accompanied by other traditional instruments and music played by the DJ created a cacophony, the student volunteers said. Decibel levels at all ten spots including Belbaug/Samadhan, Ganpati/Kavre Cold Drinks, Limbaraj Maharaj Chowk, Kunte chowk, Umbarya Ganpati Chowk, Bhausaheb Gokhale Chowk, Shedge Vithoba Chowk, Holkar Chowk, Lokmanya Tilak Chowk and Khanduji Baba Chowk ranged between 110 and 122.4 decibels.

For the first time in 13 years, students were not allowed to record levels at Limbaraj Maharaj chowk at 4 pm. The average reading at 12 noon, when procession commenced, was 91.4 dB while average across ten crossroads at 4 pm was 101.3 dB. At 8 pm, average reading was 98.0 dB and at midnight, it was 94.0 dB.

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At 4 am on September 9, the noise registered was 91.8 dB which peaked at 8 am to 101.3 dB. At 8 am on Tuesday, all chowks crossed 100 decibels, the volunteers said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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