Ministry implements sound barriers in two pilot cities

ISTANBUL

The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry continues efforts to reduce noise pollution in the country’s major cities with a sound barrier project, marking significant progress in the pilot cities of the initiative.

Aligning with the ministry’s environmental noise control regulation introduced in 2022 to mitigate urban noise pollution, the project seeks to both lessen and manage noise pollution in the country’s major cities, as well as to ensure acoustic planning and protect quiet areas.

Within this scope, authorities crafted noise mapping studies, subsequently developing environmental noise action plans, pinpointing high-noise zones and collaborating with local authorities to implement sound-reduction measures.

As part of the large-scale project, authorities chose the metropolis of Istanbul, the central city of Konya and the southeastern province of Gaziantep as the first pilot cities for the initiative.

With financial support from the ministry, municipalities started installing sound barriers at designated locations.

In Istanbul and Konya, officials have thus far installed around 11,833 square meters of sound barriers, with work remaining in progress for an additional 61,239 square meters. In Istanbul, barriers have been installed in the Çekmeköy and Ümraniye districts, while in Konya, they have been placed in the Selçuk district, in addition to the Konya-Adana highway.

These barriers are primarily placed near major sources of noise pollution, such as highways, railways and industrial areas, with a focus on minimizing noise disturbances from road and rail traffic in urban environments.

Once completed, the project will provide a total of 73,072 square meters of sound barriers across Türkiye.

In a similar endeavor, authorities also occasionally conduct sound-level inspections in entertainment venues and tour boats in Istanbul, particularly along the landmark Bosphorus, measuring noise levels with decibel meters.