Assessment of Traffic Induced Noise Pollution Indices and its Impact on Students’ Health at Bangladesh Agricultural University

Abstract

The Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) is a prime campus of agricultural study on 488 hectares of scenic land on the western array of the old Brahmaputra River. This study aimed to measure the prevailing levels of traffic induced noise pollution at the core academic points and to assess the impacts of noise pollution on students’ health at BAU. The recorded Lave ranges from 55–85 dB. The Lave ranges from 79–85 dB throughout the whole day at FoA and FoAH. The Lave at these two core academic points are almost the double than the permissible limit of 45 dB. The Lmax pressure (96 dB) at Jobber moor during the noon is the maximum inside the whole BAU campus. The movement of traffic vehicles is responsible as the main sources of these noise. The noise level indices and their degree of fluctuation as given by Leq, Lnp, and NC are higher in roadside locations namely at FoA, FoAH, FoAERS. In terms of noise pollution, three of the sampled areas namely FoA, FoAH, and KR market show ‘moderate risk’ (Lave: 81 dB) during the morning whilst, the FoAH possessed the ‘high risk’ with the Lave of 85 dB. The results show that the FoA, FoAH, KR market, Jobber moor, and administration building can be labelled as the highest zone of noise level intensity. Due to excessive noise, university students are facing disorders like irritation, headache, nervousness, insomnia, anxiety, hearing problem, and hypertension. Controlling noise pollution is an absolute necessity for BAU to ensure noise-less academic culture whilst the dwellers of BAU is in the risk of serious noise-related health hazards. The results would be very useful for BAU authority to monitor and formulate a structural noise management policy, and to control excessive noise at our beloved BAU.