Lakshmi Puja Day Sees Alarming Rise in Noise Levels Across Pune
PUNE: After a firecrackers’ test confirmed violation of permissible noise limits, data recorded by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Lakshmi Puja day on October 21 has shown that noise levels rose across several parts of the city as compared to last year, crossing permissible limits by a wide margin.
Among the locations monitored for noise, Satara Road and Laxmi Road stood out as the noisiest areas. Satara Road recorded a maximum of 97 decibels (dB) during the day and 93.6 dB at night, up from 96 dB and 88.9 dB, respectively, in 2024. Laxmi Road came a close second with 96.1 dB (day) and 94.4 dB (night); both alarmingly higher than prescribed standards. Swargate too witnessed a sharp leap in nighttime noise levels — from 84.6 dB in 2024 to 94.6 dB this year.
The MPCB data revealed a significant spike in noise levels in other localities as well. For example, Karve Road recorded an increase in noise levels from 92.5 dB last year to 96.5 dB this year (day) and from 84.5 dB last year to 89.4 dB this year (night). Similarly, Khadki registered 94.8 dB during the day and 91.2 dB at night this year as compared to 86.5 dB during the day and 82.5 dB at night in 2024.
A few areas such as Aundhgaon and Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Road reported lower daytime noise this year — dropping to 82.8 dB and 78 dB, respectively — but the overall trend across Pune remained worrying. By contrast, Shaniwarwada, Yerawada and Sarasbaug registered moderate yet above permissible limit noise levels with nighttime levels ranging between 86 and 90 dB.
In Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pimpri recorded consistent daytime noise at 94.1 dB both in 2024 and 2025 with slight improvement at night, dropping to 80.4 dB. At 93.9 dB, Nigdi saw a rise in noise levels during the day whereas Akurdi recorded lower noise levels compared to 2024.
Due to the confusion over Diwali dates, a few people in the city celebrated the main festival on October 20. The MPCB data on October 20 too showed noise levels above permissible limits in most areas. During the day, Shivajinagar recorded the highest noise levels at 97.4 dB whereas Shaniwar Wada recorded the highest noise levels at night (90.6 dB).
According to Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, the permissible noise limit for residential areas is 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night whereas for commercial areas, it is 65 dB and 55 dB, respectively. Going by the MPCB data, nearly every area in Pune exceeded permissible noise limits with noise levels almost double in some cases.
An MPCB official said that the rise in noise levels this Diwali can be attributed to the extensive use of high-decibel firecrackers, and densely packed celebrations in commercial pockets. “We observed a spike in sound levels during peak evening hours. Although a few areas showed improvement, most areas exceeded safe limits,” the official said.
Meanwhile, environmental experts expressed concern over the adverse effects of rising noise levels including stress, hearing loss, and other health issues.
