Noise map of the seafront in the Manaíra neighborhood, in João Pessoa/PB: diagnosis and study of the exposed population

diagnóstico e estudo da população exposta

Abstract

Noise pollution is currently considered one of the biggest environmental problems in large cities, as it can have consequences that directly affect the health of the population. In João Pessoa, capital of the state of Paraíba, the accelerated urbanization process seen in recent decades tends to exacerbate this problem, as it is directly associated with the growth of the local vehicle fleet – the main source of urban noise in cities. Thus, noise mapping stands out as an important tool for diagnosing environmental acoustics, and can be used for various purposes, especially as an ally in helping to create public policies for urban planning. Therefore, the present work aims to diagnose traffic noise on the seafront of the Manaíra neighborhood, in João Pessoa/PB, one of the most important tourist attractions in the capital, based on the creation of a noise map of the area, considering the clipping 300 meters after the beach. For that, an extensive methodology was applied, which encompasses the survey of morphological data of the neighborhood, collection and updating of data obtained in previous mappings, elaboration of the noise map in the SoundPlan software, analysis of the results and choice of an area of ​​focus (area A) within the neighborhood, in order to calculate the number of people potentially exposed to traffic noise. The study demonstrated that the situation of noise pollution on the seafront of Manaíra is worrying, since the entire study section presents very high sound levels, in disagreement with the limits recommended by the NBR 10151:2019 standard, especially in area A. In addition, based on demographic calculations, a large number of individuals residing in this area were diagnosed, exposed to excessive noise that could directly affect their quality of life.