Noise pollution

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. India's Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 derive their authority from the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. They categorise areas into industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones, prescribing different permissible decibel limits for daytime and night-time for each zone. This is a foundational element of India's statutory framework for noise regulation. Statement 2 is correct. Research on anthropogenic noise consistently shows that its disruption of predator–prey dynamics — predators having to expend far more energy while catching fewer prey — is a systemic ecological consequence that goes beyond individual species mortality. Conventional conservation tools such as protected-area boundaries and habitat restoration address physical landscape degradation but do not, by themselves, reduce acoustic disturbance within those areas. This is precisely why conservation scientists argue for dedicated 'acoustic refuges' or low-noise zones as a complementary policy instrument. Statement 3 is false, and the error is conceptual: marine ecosystems are actually MORE vulnerable to noise pollution than terrestrial ones, not less. Sound travels both faster and farther through water than through air (not more slowly or over shorter distances). Marine organisms — from small invertebrates to whales — are highly dependent on acoustic communication, echolocation and sound-based prey detection, so the superior propagation of sound in water amplifies rather than dampens the harm caused by shipping, underwater construction and similar noise sources.