PANAJI
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) is exploring the installation of Online Noise Monitoring Systems (ONMS) at all open-air restaurants operating in identified noise pollution hotspots along Goa’s coastal belt.
The proposal will apply to establishments that have been granted consent to operate, and may later be extended to other open-air venues once the State government finalises and approves the pending Noise Mapping report.
According to the draft report titled ‘Noise Mapping, Identification of Hot Spots and Mitigation Plan for Control of Noise Pollution for Goa State’, prepared jointly by Envirotech Instruments Pvt Ltd and CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, as many as 30 noise pollution hotspots have been identified across Goa’s coastal region.
The report notes that several of these locations record noise levels exceeding 75 decibels (dB), with certain areas such as Calangute-Baga witnessing levels crossing 100 dB, particularly during night hours.
Though the draft report was submitted to the Board in January 2025, it is yet to be finalised due to queries raised by the GSPCB.
“The report is in the process of finalisation. Once that is completed, the Board will be in a position to comply with the High Court’s directions to ensure that all open-air establishments granted consent install ONMS linked to the Board’s server,” a senior official said.
In December 2023, the Bombay High Court (Goa Bench) directed the Board to ensure that all establishments operating as open-air restaurants and event venues install functional noise monitoring systems under the relevant statutes and rules, and that these systems remain operational at all times.
Based on ambient noise data from 2023, the draft report identifies hotspots including Calangute beach, Baga beach, Chicalim Junction, Crocodile Rock, Sinquerim beach, Panjim Promenade, Morjim beach, Vadem bus stop, Varunapuri, Verem market, Saxony Beach Cottages and Restaurant, Ashvem beach, Candolim beach, Fort Aguada Road, Anjuna beach, Arambol beach, Siolim bus stop, Siolim beach road, Miramar, Agarwada-Morjim, Goa Surf School, IOC Junction, Sada-Vasco, Mandrem beach, Goa Velha bypass, Dabolim airport, Cortalim bridge and Dona Paula.
Noise levels in these areas reportedly range between 79 dB and 115 dB during night-time hours.
To mitigate sound disturbances, the agencies have recommended installing transparent noise barriers along a five-kilometre coastal stretch covering four major beaches- Calangute, Baga, Ashvem and Arambol- where night-time noise levels consistently exceed permissible limits. Beaches such as Candolim, Miramar, Anjuna and Sinquerim have also recorded sound levels beyond prescribed norms.
Additionally, the report proposes introducing automatic shutdown mechanisms for music systems at popular tourist beaches. The system would deactivate sound equipment when noise levels exceed 90 dB(A), thereby helping regulate fluctuations that may adversely impact public health and local wildlife.
For beaches located near residential zones, the agencies have suggested installing noise barriers along the boundary between the shoreline and residential areas to prevent sound intrusion into inhabited neighbourhoods.
