A SURVEY OF SMARTPHONE-RECORDED OUTDOOR NOISESCAPE AT THE 1000-HOUSING ESTATE, MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The outdoor noisescape noise levels of weekday, weekend and week components of the two sites at the 1000-Housing Estate, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria were recorded with a smartphone installed with sound pressure level SPL software. Recordings were made at the top of the hour for the first location and at the half hour mark for the second location from 0600 to 2400 for three separate weeks in March, May and June 2021. It was observed that commencing from 1500, the evening weekday noisescape rises from 73.7 dBA to an evening peak of 81.7 dBA between 1600 and 1800. This rise is attributed to higher foot and vehicular traffic transiting the estate as school children and working residents return home from their daily schedules. Contribution from the highway is significant as commuters try to beat the 1800 security closure of the highway. The pattern gradually drops from the evening peak to 80.9 dBA by 2000 and 79.1 dBA by 2100. These results show that the deduced noisescape patterns at the two sites were above the EPA limits of 50 dBA for mornings and 35 dBA for evenings, rise from early morning low to reach peaks at about noon, which thereafter decline to afternoon lows. A substantive amount of the outdoor noisescape noise levels is attributed to the vehicular traffic on the Maiduguri – Damaturu highway. Thus, the contribution of highway traffic is approximately estimated to vary from 5.3 dBA at noon, to 21.9 dBA in the afternoon and 2.7 dBA late in the evening.