Assessment of Noise Pollution Levels at Major Motor Parks in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Two motor parks in Port Harcourt had their noise pollution levels examined. The motor parks at Waterlines and at Rumuokoro are among the busiest in the city and have a lot of nearby sources of noise. The relative humidity and temperature meters were used to measure the relative humidity and the temperature at the parks, respectively. The sound level meter was used to measure sound levels. A questionnaire was provided to 63 respondents (38 at Rumuokoro motor park and 25 at Waterlines based on willingness to participate) in order to get subjective data. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 was used to compute the noise descriptors. Pearson correlation was employed to assess the link between the measured dependent variable (noise level) and the independent variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction). Results show that both motor parks have similar noise sources. The identified noise sources were loudspeakers from music shops, car engines, car horns, power generators, loud arguments, and advertising of products by vendors and hawkers. Additionally, preachers with megaphones and vulcanizers were found at Rumuokoro automobile park. In Waterlines motor park, the lowest and highest noise levels were 51.0 and 73.1 dBA, while it was 52.1 and 83.3 dBA in Rumuokoro motor park. The respondent's knowledge of noise's health effects was considered. While most respondents acknowledged that high noise levels affect work productivity and cause hearing problems, most rejected that high noise levels affected their communication and sleep. This shows that noise pollution and its effects on physical, social, and psychological health require better education.