Tiruchi neighbourhoods hit by noise pollution

Loud audio advertisements and public service announcements erase the calm of residential areas

Despite the lockdown and the new normal of restricted working hours, not many places in the city can claim to be noise-free. Whether it is the din caused by road traffic, factory sirens, construction sites, fireworks or amplified announcements and songs played over public address systems, Tiruchi’s residents are being increasingly exposed to ‘second-hand noise.’

The lockdown’s new emphasis on mobile vending has given many sellers a chance to publicise their ware through audio announcements played on loop. This is more common in areas such as Thillai Nagar where a significant number of commercial enterprises co-exist with individual houses and apartments. “The advertisements start at around 6 a.m. and as more sellers join in through the day, it becomes a flood of noise - be it vegetable, herbal coffee, clothes or snacks, everything under the sun is being sold amid this cacophony. The noise is unbearable, especially when it goes on until late evening,” K.V. Narayanan, a long-time resident of Thillai Nagar, told The Hindu.