Anurag Kotoky
India
is considering restricting the number of flights that can take off or
land at airports to cut noise pollution, in line with with several
European and American nations, a senior official at India’s aviation
regulator said.
The environment ministry is working with the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation, the regulator, to formulate guidelines on the
maximum noise levels to be permitted at existing and new airports, the
official said, asking not to be identified citing rules.
The regulator is considering the step after residents and
hospitals near the New Delhi airport -- India’s busiest -- complained to
the National Green Tribunal, the person said. The airport currently has
118 arrivals and 122 departures between 10:01 p.m. and 05:59 a.m.,
according to the official.
Two 2013 studies
linked aircraft noise to higher rates of cardiovascular diseases.
While the first study found rates of strokes and heart disease increased
with people’s proximity to London’s Heathrow Airport, the second found
that U.S. seniors on Medicare who were exposed to the most airplane
noise were also more likely to have been hospitalized for heart disease.
India in September 2013 began collecting data on noise
levels at airports in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru -- the three
biggest airports at the world’s fastest growing aviation market, the
official said.
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