The Supreme Court’s restrictions on the quality and the burning of fire crackers and the State government’s subsequent note on the timings during which crackers can be burst, has led to a relatively quiet Diwali, and less pollution in the air, especially in the urban areas of the State. The effectiveness of the Court order can be gauged by the lack of sales for firecrackers and clearer skies the next day. Wholesalers and retailers told Herald that sales in the run-up to the festival had fallen by almost 50 percent compared to the business they had managed during the festive season the previous year.
But it is not just the Supreme Court order that led to less fire crackers being burnt this Diwali in Goa. Campaigns in schools also had an effect, with young children opting against crackers to celebrate the festive season. As one buyer told Herald, it was his eight-year-old son who dissuaded him from buying crackers as he had discussed this in school with his friends, leading to the father scouring the market for green firecrackers. Another buyer, accompanied by her son, was looking for crackers that do not create noise pollution and smoke. Again, this was a result of campaigns and interactions in schools, a clear indication that such methods in schools do work.
While businessmen may have lamented that sales had dropped considerably due to various campaigns that fire crackers are harmful to the environment and to one’s health, the people and the environment had a better Diwali this year thanks to the drop in pollution.
Just two weeks before Diwali, the Supreme Court, refusing to impose a complete ban on sale of firecrackers, had permitted the sale of fireworks that meet the standards of low emission and decibel and imposed time limits for their bursting. The Court maintained a fine balance here, keeping in mind the interests of makers and sellers of fire crackers and also of those affected by the pollution caused due to the burning of the product, which peaks at Diwali, especially in North India, New Delhi in particular, that runs the risk of a haze covering the city for a few days after Diwali every year.
Pollution in New Delhi, however, has not abated and experts have warned of a severe spike in the levels in the National Capital after Diwali even if ‘partial toxic crackers’ are burnt. This was primarily due to Delhi’s air quality this year being recorded in the ‘very poor’ category even ahead of Diwali, as winds blowing from regions where stubble burning was taking place, brought with them the soot from the fields to the National Capital, leading to pollution watchdog CPCB recommending a ban on the entry of heavy vehicles into the city from November 8 to 10. It also led to the Central Pollution Control Board mulling the possibility of artificial rain over Delhi after Diwali to wash away the hazardous pollutants.
What Delhi, and the rest of the country needs are solutions to the rising pollution levels. Artificial rain is not a solution, it is a placebo post the occurrence that will mitigate the effects of pollution. The solution should be towards curbing the causes of pollution. One of the major causes of pollution is the carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, and there have been proposals, including in Goa, to convert the public transport system to bio fuels. For starters, the State needs to go green with its public transport system, that can set an example for the rest of the country to follow.
All that is needed for this is a proper and systematic plan for a green public transport system that will reduce the carbon footprint in the State.
