Let the light of good sense prevail

Health of community has precedence over harmful celebrations.

Every year during Diwali, there are warnings about fireworks and the use of firecrackers which pollute the air and cause health problems, including injuries, to many. Bans are often imposed on the storage and use of firecrackers and recommendations are made to celebrate the festival as green Diwali.

It is a festival of light which commemorates the return of Ram and Sita to Ayodhya from Lanka. It marks the victory of good over evil. The celebration with sound was a later addition to the tradition, though it has now become an important part of it. The sound and fury of firecrackers which are widely used during the festival days has now made it a festival of noise and smoke. Diwali now needs to be seen and reinterpreted as marking the victory of the public good of the health of the community over a personal fancy for noise which hurts the community.

Air pollution has reached alarming levels across the country. Many of our cities and towns are among the most polluted in the world. Ailments caused by pollution like lung and skin diseases are steadily increasing. Vehicular emissions, dust from construction and farm fires in some states are the main causes of air pollution. But according to health experts, the smoke emitted from firecrackers, which contains fumes of heavy metals and toxic gases, is more dangerous than other pollutants.

The concentrated emission of smoke and harmful matter from firecrackers during Diwali days does much more harm than the emissions from other sources for many days. High-decibel celebrations cause discomfort and inconvenience, particularly to the elderly and sick persons. Injuries to the eyes and burns are widely reported after the celebrations. The noise affects animals badly and subjects them to great stress and trauma.

Courts, including the Supreme Court, have in recent years issued orders to curb the use of firecrackers and issued guidelines for the purpose. Governments have sought to ban the storage and use of firecrackers or to limit it to a few hours during the day or night. Green crackers have been promoted, too. But these have not had much impact.

The matter also becomes political as in Delhi where the BJP has opposed the ban proposed by the AAP government as an anti-Hindu measure. It is difficult to enforce bans and curbs, and only a change in attitude and better public awareness about the need for a clean and safe Diwali can make a real difference. Air pollution is a silent killer and ironically, some of the fatal silence rises from the sound of celebrations. Diwali should mark the victory of light over sound.