Pune's immersion procession noise up 12 decibels from last year, despite awareness drive
A COEP study finds noise levels during Pune's Ganesh immersion procession rose sharply this year despite police awareness campaigns and drives.
Noise pollution during Pune's Ganesh immersion procession on Laxmi Road and surrounding areas has once again reached severe levels. A study by COEP Technological University found that noise this year was higher than last year, even though the police had run large-scale awareness campaigns, meetings and drives ahead of the procession.
According to the report, an average of 104.5 decibels was recorded at ten major intersections on Laxmi Road during the procession, compared to 92.6 decibels in 2025, a rise of 12 decibels. The issue of DJs and rising noise pollution was already being discussed before the procession, but the actual procession saw the entire central area reverberate with noise from dhol-tasha troupes, DJs, Dolby systems and loudspeakers.
Under the guidance of Mahesh Shindikar, head of the Department of Applied Science and Humanities at COEP, student coordinators Meher and Ayush recorded noise levels at different times during the immersion procession. Measurements were taken at Belbaug, Ganpati, Limbraj, Kunte, Umbrya, Gokhale, Shedge, Holkar, Tilak and Khandojibaba chowks.
This year, noise intensity was found to be particularly high between 4 pm and midnight. The average noise across all intersections was 113.4 decibels at 4 pm, 111.9 decibels at 8 pm and 112.6 decibels at midnight. At Umbrya chowk, noise reached 115.2 decibels at 4 pm, while at Gokhale chowk it reached 115.4 decibels at 8 pm.
Among individual intersections, average noise levels were recorded as 106.8 decibels at Holkar chowk, 106.3 at Shedge Vithoba chowk, 105.5 at Tilak chowk, 104.4 at Gokhale chowk, 104.2 at Khandojibaba chowk, 104.1 at Umbrya chowk, 104.0 at Belbaug chowk, 103.5 at Limbraj Maharaj chowk, 103.3 at Ganpati chowk and 102.8 at Kunte chowk.
Looking at figures over the past five years, noise levels were 105.2 decibels in 2022, 101.2 in 2023, 94.8 in 2024, 92.6 in 2025 and now 104.5 decibels in 2026, meaning a sharp rise this year after two years of decline.
Central Pollution Control Board guidelines set limits of 65 decibels by day and 55 by night in commercial areas, and 55 by day and 45 by night in residential areas. The average of 104.5 decibels recorded in the COEP study is many times higher than these limits.
Questions are being raised over how effective the administration's planning to curb noise pollution actually was during the procession. Arrangements were expected at every intersection to control noise, yet at several spots DJs and loudspeakers competed to be the loudest. Crowds and traffic jams on the road also meant ambulances faced obstruction during the immersion procession, prompting questions over both the noise pollution and the planning of the procession.
