Noise pollution at Ghanaian Social Gatherings: the case of the Kumasi Metropolis

Kumasi the capital of the Ashanti Region in Ghana has been observed to have high noise pollution. It has been observed that social gatherings, especially church services and funeral gatherings, are the main contributors to such noise. Measurements of noise levels were carried out in three churches and three funeral gatherings, using DT-8852 Precision Digital Sound Level meter, to investigate whether they conform to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, and if not, to find out how much they exceed the EPA prescribed limits. Noise levels from the Church A, Church B and the Church C were 78.3 dBA, 82.8 dBA and 81.4 dBA respectively. Funeral ground 1 recorded the highest noise level of 84 dBA, followed by funeral ground 3 of 83.6dBA, then funeral ground 2 of 79.2dBA. The sampled churches and funeral gatherings, thus, exceeded their day time permissible EPA noise levels of 60 dBA and 65 dBA respectively. It is recommended that the public be made aware of the adverse effects of noise pollution and steps taken to enforce the EPA standards to protect inhabitants.