A Brief Review of the Legislative Aspects of Noise Pollution

With the advancement of science and technology at an unprecedented pace, the urban centers of today's world have evolved not just in size but also in terms of the living conditions provided by them. This has brought about an increasing new awareness about the noise pollution, which has become a part of our day-to-day lives. Studies have been conducted to trace the amount of damage caused by the noise from various natural as well as man-made sources, especially traffic. In fact, noise has come to be associated with the mental, physical, emotional and psychological well-being of an individual, be it human beings or even animals. In legal terms, noise can be considered as an assault on an individual. Apparently, this is a potential hazard to the provisions of sound living conditions and needs to be checked at planning, administrative and judicial level. This paper identifies the various legislative provisions available in India and other parts of the world to check this menace. Reference has also been made to the conclusions from the studies by researchers, legislative cases involving noise pollution and the statistical analysis of the current situation. Thus an attempt has been made to give an overview of the complete scenario of noise pollution-related laws and jurisdictions, to make this paper useful for researchers, planners, administrators and people concerned with the enactment and enforcement of law.