The state pollution control board has issued an order permitting a maximum noise level of 125 decibel for firecrackers in the state.
The change, in conformity with the national norm, dilutes the noise rule in Bengal, where firecracker sound limit had been 90 decibel for many years now.
“The green firecrackers… should be manufactured as per the formulation of CSIR-NEERI (and the) noise level limits for the sound emitting green crackers shall be within 125dB (decibel)…” reads the October 17 order issued by PCB member secretary Rajesh Kumar.
A copy of the order is with The Telegraph.
The order says it was issued to clear “confusion regarding the permissible noise limit for green fireworks” and argues that a 2018 Supreme Court directive on fireworks does not mention a noise limit.
Since 1999, the permissible noise level for firecrackers across the country, except Bengal, was 125 decibel (measured 4m from the source of the sound). In Bengal, the limit had been 90 decibel (measured 5m from the source).
A noise expert who did not wish to be named said 125 decibel measured 4m from the point of blast roughly corresponds to 123 decibel when measured 5m from the source.
Which means the noise limit has effectively been raised from 90 to 123 decibel. The state rule was upheld by court every time it was challenged because central laws allow states to make environmental standards more stringent.
State pollution control board chairman Kalyan Rudra had on March 31 said in the presence of then environment minister Manas Bhuniya and fire minister Sujit Bose that the board had asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to not approve any green crackers for Bengal that produced more than 90 decibel sound measured 5m from the source.
NEERI functions under the Union government.
“At today’s meeting, we clearly communicated to the chief scientist of NEERI that the agency should not approve any formulation of green crackers for West Bengal whose noise level exceeds 90 decibel,” Rudra had said.
In 2015-16, an expert committee set up by the PCB, headed by ENT specialist Dulal Bose, following an order from the National Green Tribunal had concluded after a detailed experiment with human subjects that “there was no scope to relax the noise standard” for fireworks. The committee referred to the impact of higher noise levels on health.
Consequently, the PCB said the 90-decibel norm would remain in force.
On Wednesday, green activist Naba Dutta said: “The PCB’s latest order is a complete turnaround from its nearly two-decade-old position. The board has acted under pressure from the fireworks lobby.”
This newspaper failed to contact the PCB chairman and member secretary despite repeated efforts. State environment minister Golam Rabbani said: “I am in Kalimpong and not exactly aware of the developments. I will look into the matter after the Puja.”
This of 90-decibel rule was first pronounced by Calcutta High Court in 1997. “It was upheld 9 to 10 times by the high court, Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal,” said Biswajit Mukherjee, former chief law officer of the state pollution control board.