By Manleen Bawa
Interestingly, just a few days ago I was having a conversation with a 50-year-old protector of Indian culture. A remark on the Dussehra celebrations sparked off a debate over firecrackers. He said to me that we shouldnt stop burning firecrackers because its part of our culture and we only get one day a year to celebrate it. We should enjoy that day with crackers; we should let it be.
Well, sir, we cannot let it be. We must not.
Pollution, pollution everywhere!
Nobody needs convincing that Delhi is breathing smoke. No amount of facts and figures are really required to make one believe we are living in a gas chamber. Just look out of your window and the alarming pollution levels will make themselves evident. Delhi is perpetually covered in a vast cloud of smog. Pollution has become an undeniable and unavoidable reality.
Miss the blue sky, anyone?
Extinguishing the fire in firecrackers
The gentleman mentioned above spoke about how vehicular pollution is the biggest cause of pollution. We should not make a hue and cry about mere crackers which are just our way of being happy! This is the precise argument you might encounter whenever you defend your right to breathe in front of a firecracker bursting human. They would say to you, First go control the number of cars on Delhi roads; then talk about firecrackers.
Whether their share in nearing our inevitable deaths is big or small is not of concern when peoples lives are at risk. While the effect of firecrackers is temporary, the degree of aggravation of an already-worsened situation that it causes can be lethal. Last year, schools had to shut down owing to the hazardous pollution levels post-Diwaliwali. The Centre for Science and Environment said, “Toxic fume from cracker worsen the killer particles in the air… It also deposits deadly chemicals in our environment that will remain trapped for days.”
As a result, the Supreme Court has reinstated the November 2016 ban on the sale and purchase of firecrackers in Delhi and the NCR until November 1, 2017.
The talk of tradition
Mr Chetan Bhagat tweeted, Banning crackers on Diwali is like banning Christmas trees on Christmas and goats on Bakr-Eid. Regulate. Dont ban. Respect traditions.
When your so-called tradition is endangering the lives of other human beings at the cost of momentary happiness and futile celebration, it may be time to prioritise human lives over pollution-causing bundles of unbearable noise. Those who defend their precious little crackers until death do them part, are often conveniently forgetting about the life-threatening circumstances people find themselves in after bursting a few. Cases of skin burns and other firecracker-related injuries abound. Studies have reported an increase in the number of cases of firecracker injuries over the years. Rockets are shot in the air but might land on someones head. How do you justify that in the name of tradition?
Will it work?
Lets be honest, this ban will not work miracles. An environmental threat which has been brewing for decades cannot magically work itself out with a simple ban. The volume of vehicles on the road, increasing waste generation, and crop burning are leading factors making Delhis air almost unbreathable; a mere ban on the sale of fireworks will not yield immediate results.
However, what it will be successful in doing if implemented effectively, is prevent the aggravation of an already borderline condition. It will promote pollution-free Diwalis for years to come.
Even if all of this does not happen, it must be acknowledged that it is a start. It is an affirmative action. It will spread awareness. It will turn a little stone somewhere.
Featured Image Source: Wikimedia Commons