Polluting Diwali

Punjab, Haryana and NCR were again engulfed in the polluted shroud of firecracker emissions and ear-splitting noise this Diwali as the air quality deteriorated to the dangerous ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories in the cities of Noida, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Ambala, Jalandhar, Gurugram, Jind, Hisar, Delhi, Panipat, Faridabad and Ludhiana. That the air quality index was better this time than in the recent years was no consolation to hapless residents whose festival of lights was marred as they suffered from bouts of choking, coughing, wheezing and other respiratory ailments. Aggravating the situation is the spike in paddy stubble burning witnessed in the region during this time of the year along with unfavourable weather conditions that trap the poisonous micro-particles and play a major role in polluting the environment.

Unfortunately, executing the Supreme Court-mandated regulations towards ensuring a clean festival period from Dasehra to Gurpurb and Christmas to New Year remains a challenge in North India. Caring two hoots for the two-hour window (8 pm to 10 pm for Diwali) that was enforced last year for enjoying the fireworks, many people continue to flout the rule. Educative programmes in schools and colleges, public awareness campaigns and laser shows extolling the benefits of celebrating in a green, eco-friendly manner seem to have gone up in smoke. Neither has the fact that hundreds of people were booked and arrested last year in the region for flouting the ban on making, selling and bursting traditional hazardous firecrackers been much of a deterrent. This irresponsible behaviour and lack of civic sense is criminal for not only are the polluters impacted, but also those abiding by the law who too are forced to inhale toxic fumes.

India is already battling smog on a multi-pronged level — rising vehicle emissions, construction dust that refuse to settle and polluting industries that run with impunity. As per a study, 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India. In this bleak scenario, to lift the blanket of haze, let us encourage community Diwali, if not a blanket ban on pyrotechnics.