Dubai Municipality has completed the second phase of a noise-monitoring project by installing 10 stations to take readings of sound levels in the emirate, it announced on Wednesday.
Alia Al Harmoudi, Director of the Environment Department at the municipality, said the ten stations were installed following the results of the first phase of the project, which included a survey of the 400 noisiest areas in Dubai.
The stations, which are solar powered, are installed in 10 of the noisiest areas, the municipality said in a statement. It did not identify the locations of these stations.
The areas surveyed included residential areas, areas around schools and hospitals, tourist areas, main roads, and near airports and metros.
The data collected resulted in more than 150 contour maps that show the noise levels in each area in Dubai.
Al Harmoudi said the new stations were manufactured in Denmark following the latest international standards, and are capable to endure the weather conditions in the UAE.
They are more compact than similar stations around the world, so they do not take up space.
Hind Mahmoud Ahmad, Head of Environmental Planning and Studies Section at the Environment Department, said the stations are supported by computer programmes that analyse the data collected periodically and can determine the source or noise.
This will help the municipality take decisions and legal action against people who are committing violations.
The next step, she said, is to create dynamic maps for noise levels using this data to act as a reference for future urban plans and the selection of future project sites. (Gulf News)