‘Can’t even sleep’: Those who live near Kanwar camps bear the brunt

NEW DELHI: While most Delhi residents have been dealing with traffic snarls and disruption as hundreds of devotees participating in the annual Kanwar Yatra traverse the city, those living next to temporary camps for kanwariyas have borne a more immediate brunt: days of blaring music, rattling windows, disrupted sleep and clogged neighbourhood roads

NEW DELHI: While most Delhi residents have been dealing with traffic snarls and disruption as hundreds of devotees participating in the annual Kanwar Yatra traverse the city, those living next to temporary camps for kanwariyas have borne a more immediate brunt: days of blaring music, rattling windows, disrupted sleep and clogged neighbourhood roads.

Residents said the noise from boomboxes continued late into the night, with the bass so loud that the walls of houses near the camps vibrated. (HT)

Through Monday, HT visited B-Block in Ramesh Nagar – a west Delhi neighbourhood between Kirti Nagar and Rajouri Garden – with a sound meter to track the sound levels there and found that the levels of exposure were high enough to cause long-term hearing damage.

Residents there said the steady movement of devotees and two Kanwar camps set up below the Ramesh Nagar metro station had turned daily life into a struggle. Sleep has been shattered, office calls interrupted, school routines disrupted and garbage piled up around the camps, they said.

The kanwariyas have been passing through the area for several days. Residents said the noise from boomboxes continued late into the night, with the bass so loud that the walls of houses near the camps vibrated.

The HT sound meter recorded noise levels of more than 90 decibels inside homes closest to the camps. At one such house, readings were 90.6 decibels at 6.30pm, 91.4 decibels at 7.30pm and 95 at 8:30pm. At a house around 200 metres away, readings were 67.2 and 76.3 decibels at around 3.30pm and 5.30pm respectively while the readings remained between 65 and 75 between 6pm and 11pm.

At this level, the World Health Organization recommends that exposure be capped to about four hours per week. Beyond that, lies the risk of permanent hearing damage.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rules cap ambient noise in residential areas at 55 decibels between 6am and 10pm and 45 decibels during the night. At the camp, readings were even higher — 82.4, 101.3, 90.3 and 92.1 decibels between 3.20pm and 6.20pm and 95, 99.2 and 94 between 7:20 and 9:20.

For residents, however, the numbers have translated into a daily disruption. Gurbir Singh, 55, a stockbroker who lives directly opposite the camp, said he had not slept properly in three days and that his elderly mother was experiencing palpitations. “We dread these days. I was born and brought up here. Now I curse my family for buying a house on the main road because this camp is set up here every year. I can’t sleep or work peacefully. The boombox is blaring all the time,” he said.

The decibel reading at his first-floor residence was 90.1 at 6.30pm and 91.5 at 7.30pm.

“Office calls are affected and at night also old people are unable to sleep because of the loud noise full night,” said Shekhar Bhatia, 39, an MNC employee whose parents are over 70. “My father could not sleep peacefully all night.”

Ana Gogia, 38, a chartered accountant who works for an MNC in Gurugram, said the disruption extended beyond houses immediately surrounding the camps. Heavy traffic made it difficult to reach nearby destinations such as children’s bus stops, offices, gyms and doctors, she said. People working from home also struggled to remain on calls because of the noise.

Gogia, who suffers from migraine and laryngitis, said the continuous noise was particularly difficult to cope with. “I suffer from both and these days are impossible to deal with,” she said.

School routines have also been affected. Residents said congestion was particularly difficult around school timings, with some parents choosing to pick up their children themselves instead of relying on school buses navigating the crowded roads.

Komal Mutreja, 45, a homemaker and mother of two children aged five and seven, said noise, traffic and sanitation were the biggest problems. “Loudspeakers, music and announcements disturb us so much. My children are not able to study. They keep getting distracted,” she said. Blocked or diverted roads had also made daily travel difficult, particularly during school hours.

Garbage around the camps has added to the complaints. Residents said empty water bottles, chips packets and other waste were frequently discarded on or around the roads. “There is so much rubbish all around when they throw empty water bottles or chips packets,” Gogia said.

Residents also raised concerns about the effect of prolonged noise and crowds on street dogs, saying the animals became restless when music was played at high volume and could become more aggressive. “The stray dogs have become so aggressive. All this has a cascading effect as well. I am scared to send my daughter to play outside because of the dogs,” Mutreja said.

For some residents, the concerns extend beyond noise and inconvenience to safety. “One of the main issues is safety. They are carrying baseball bats and wooden sticks, walking in the middle of the road. They often cross the residential street too. And yes, the sound is also one of the major parameters,” said Puneet Mahendru, 35, an advocate and resident.

Residents said they had repeatedly contacted the local police station over noise and traffic concerns, but alleged that their complaints had not resulted in effective action.

“Up until last year, I called the local police station and even PCR. The police would come and ask them to lower the volume, but it started again after a while. This year, I just haven’t,” said a 34-year-old resident and corporate employee who did not wish to be identified.

Residents said their concerns were not about the practice itself, but about the extent to which the movement and celebrations affected people living along the routes.

“This is what we are teaching our children? That they can use the streets as their home?” Gogia said.