Attitudes of Community to Urban Traffic Noise in Morogoro, Tanzania

Traffic noise is a major environmental source of pollution both in developed and in developing countries. This study was carried out in Morogoro municipality, located about 200 km west of Dar es Salaam the business capital of Tanzania. Total of 16 measuring points were selected along main roads and A-weighted continuous equivalent sound level meters was used for measurement of noise level. The average noise equivalent level at measured points varied between 51.1 to 75.1 dBA. The results established the fact that noise levels are more than the acceptable limit of 55 dBA, which is the daytime governmentally prescribed noise limit for residential-commercial areas. This study also describes the reaction of the Morogoro residents to environmental noise pollution. A total of 200 questionnaires were processed. The results of the interview questionnaire revealed that the main isolated noise source was traffic (51%) and street noise (29%). About 45% of the respondents classified the noise in their street as “high”; and that noise bother 77% of the respondent more in daytime. The main impacts of exposure to noise were reported to be headache, hearing problem, sleeplessness, difficulty to concentrate and conversation disruption. This study recommends raising community awareness on noise pollution, structural management, traffic management and enforcement of laws and regulations so as to control noise pollution.