Pune, 8th September 2025: The 2025 Ganpati Visarjan in Pune once again brought attention to the issue of increasing noise levels during the city's most popular festival. This year marked the 25th consecutive year that COEP Technological University has monitored noise pollution during the immersion procession, establishing a standard for environmental awareness in the city.
Since the early 2000s, COEP Tech has consistently tracked sound levels during the Ganeshotsav visarjan to highlight the health risks associated with excessive noise exposure. Monitoring occurs at major intersections every four hours throughout the 32-hour-long immersion procession along Laxmi Road.
"This is purely a scientific activity of recording and monitoring the spatio-temporal scenario of noise to which Punekars are exposed," said faculty coordinators, noting that prolonged exposure to high decibel levels can severely impact hearing as well as the physical and mental health of citizens, particularly children, the elderly, and individuals with hypertension or diabetes.
The overall average sound level this year was 92.6 dB, the lowest recorded in the post-Covid period. The minimum sound level was 61.6 dB at Khanduji Chowk, while the maximum was 109.3 dB at the same location. The highest average levels were observed at Belbag (98.8 dB) and Kunte Chowk (95.2 dB), with Kunte reaching a peak of 111.8 dB at 8 am on September 7.
Noise levels have gradually decreased from peaks of 98-100 dB in previous years. Last year (2024), the average was 94.7 dB, while this year's 92.6 dB indicates a small but notable improvement. The police administration and Ganesh mandals played a major role in managing the crowd and reducing the use of DJ systems, especially at night.
However, traditional dhol-tasha instruments continued to produce sound levels similar to DJ systems. The Pune Metro also contributed to dispersing crowds more effectively, reducing congestion around key immersion points.