Abstract:
Currently, noise pollution has been becoming a serious problem for society in the
cities. This study aimed to assess the pollution level and the distribution of it in Bahir
Dar City using ArcGIS as a tool between March and April 2019. Sixty-one sample
locations were designed for noise level recording and data collection from City of
residential, commercial, and industrial areas. Noise recordings were conducted in four
periods of the day: - morning (8:00-10:00AM), afternoon (4:00-6:00PM), evening
(9:00-11:00PM), and dawn (4:00PM-6:00AM) times. Testo 816-1 sound level meter,
tap meter, digital GPS, ArcGIS version 10.5 (Inverse Distance Weighting spatial
interpolation technique) and MS Excel 2010 ToolPak Analysis software were used
measurement, spatial noise map development and statistical analysis.
Of the total 61 samples, 39 sampled locations were in residential areas. In the
residential area, 4 sampled locations had Ld value above 55dBA set by Ethiopian
Environmental Protection Authority and WHO for daytime. The remaining 35
sampled locations meet the standards during daytime. On the other hand, in the nighttime,
out of 39 locations, only two locations of Ln are above 45 dBA. The remaining
38 samples fit the standard. Similarly, of the 19 sampled locations in the commercial
area, 10 (52.64%) sampled commercial zone’s daytime noise level is above 65dBA
set by the aforementioned authority while the remaining 9 sample locations met noise
standards. Then again, 3 (15.79%) sampled locations in night-time had average noise
level greater than 55 dBA for a commercial area. The remaining 17 (89.47%) sampled
locations had night time average noise level less than 55 dBA in the commercial area.
Moreover of the 3 sampled locations in industrial areas, all Ld and Ln values of the
three sampled sites are below the standard.
The developed noise map shows that the distribution of high levels of noise was
around residential areas, commercial places, high traffic volume flows, and religious
institutions and bars. The most dominant identified sources of noise in the city were
traffic emitted noise, religious institution loudspeakers, and vehicle mounted loud
advertisements, nightclub bars and garages in commercial and residential areas.