Along with the problems like air pollution, water pollution and solid waste, noise pollution is emerging as a threat to the inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley. Realizing its seriousness, there is an increasing number of studies on the health impacts of traffic and industrial noise in Nepal. However, noise in educational institutions, though much sensitive is least studied.This study addresses the current status of noise pollution in educational institutions located at high traffic (HT), low traffic (LT), commercial (C) and residential (R) areas of Kathmandu valley, using sound level meter and questionnaire supplied to teachers and students. Results show that more than 90% of the studied educational institutions in Kathmandu Valley have noise pollution problem, exceeding the national noise standards and WHO standard. Institutions located at HT areas have highest exposure level. The six-hour average noise level for educational institutions located at different zones follows the order HT (70.1 dBA) > C (66.2 dBA) > LT (65.7 dBA) > R (56.3 dBA). The major sources of noise in educational institutions of Kathmandu are noise from students themselves and vehicular traffic. Disturbance in studying/teaching and hearing problem during class session are the major impacts of noise pollution in educational institution of Kathmandu valley while irritation and headache were mostly experienced by the teachers and students exposed to noise pollution. The government should take appropriate measures and prescribe certain environmental criteria for establishing new educational institution in urban areas like Kathmandu. Adoption of control measures to reduce noise level in already built institutions is also recommended.
