NEW DELHI: One-third residents of Delhi-NCR are determined to burst firecrackers on Diwali despite a ban on it even as the city is already reeling under ‘severe+’ air pollution category as per AQI concentration range. This is despite the fact that firecrackers are banned in Delhi.
The Supreme Court in September backed Delhi government’s ban on sale and use of even green crackers given the high levels of air pollution that persists in late October and most of November each year. In 2018, the SC had put a blanket ban on burning of firecrackers.
A popular social media platform Local-Circles survey shows that 32% of Delhi NCR families are likely to burn crackers this Diwali despite the ban in Delhi and restrictions in other NCR cities. These groups of people have already accessed crackers or will access crackers before Diwali in violation of the SC order.
Moreover, another 13% households want to do burst them but can’t access them as it is banned in the city. However, there is a slight dip in families desirous of burning firecrackers in Delhi NCR from 39% last year to 32% this year, which is the same as found in the 2018 survey and also in 2021, during the pandemic years. It may be noted that three-fourth households in Delhi-NCR are already experiencing health complications like sore throat, cough and burning eyes due to poor air quality.
Around 43% households feel burning crackers would further increase pollution and only 6% of households honour the SC ban on burning of crackers of any kind.
In further segregation of this group of people, 13% indicated that though they would “like to burn crackers but they aren’t available in my city”; 6% of respondents stated that they “will burn crackers and have already got them from Delhi itself ”; 13% indicated that they “will burn crackers and have already got them from NCR cities”; another 13% of respondents shared that they “will burn crackers and they know how to get them”.