Assessment Of Noise Pollution Level: The Case Of Adama Town

Abstract

One of the main sources of pollution in cities is noise. Nowadays, noise pollution is acknowledged on a global scale as a serious issue that degrades urban regions' quality of life. The study of Evaluation of Level of Noise Pollution was conducted in selected silent zones (healthcare facilities and educational facilities) of Adama town. In Adama, healthcare and educational institutions are located around major traffic routes, commercial areas, and industrial sites, with poor environmental protection protocols and no legislation. This research aimed to identify and evaluate the level of noise pollution in silent zones in Adama town, Ethiopia and recommending proper mitigation measures to be taken by comparing the research findings with WHO guidelines. The research type is mixed research and was conducted using deductive approach. Purposive sampling was used to select the study areas based on their location and their distance from noisy areas. Eight study areas were selected and they were Adama General Hospital, Adama Highschool, Adama Referral Hospital, Goro Highschool, ODA Special Boarding School, Rift Valley University, Sister Aklesia Memorial Hospital and St. Mary School. This study used 372 questionnaire surveys using simple random sampling method to obtain information related to the impact of the noise to the users. Different criteria such us noise level, distance, impact, temporal variability and accessibility to measurement were employed to identify the noise sources. Noise level of the study areas was measured using Sound Level Meter. The measured noise parameters were L10, L50, L90 and Equivalent Noise Level (Leq) while the calculated noise parameters were Noise Pollution Level (LNP), Noise Climate and Leq. All collected data were compared and analysed with generally accepted international guideline of WHO. In most of the study areas, the common noise sources were transportation (traffic noise), noise within the study areas and noise from commercial activities around the study areas. The regression analysis shows that these noise sources predict 61% of the noise level in the study areas. The average Equivalent Noise Levels of Adama General Hospital, Adama Referral Hospital, Sister Aklesia Memorial Hospital, Adama Highschool, Goro Highschool, ODA Special Boarding School, Rift Valley University and St. Mary School were 53.43 dB(A), 59.18 dB(A), 54.58 dB(A), 47.93 dB(A), 50.24 dB(A), 46.1 dB(A), 51.8 dB(A) and 52.73 dB(A) respectively. Leq was used to compare with the permissible limit suggested by WHO and the result showed that every study area’s Leq was higher than the permissible limit. Generally, it is recommended that, further standards, rules and regulations have to be formulated and enforced by Adama Land Administration and different international design guidelines should be adopted and employed in our context. Further analyses should also be conducted in this thematic area.