Deepavali must be about lights, not sound and smoke
It’s that time of the year. Deepavali is around the corner and that old debate is back with us: firecrackers, to burst or not to burst. Except for Puducherry, which has actually subsidised firecrackers, most states have either put a blanket ban (like Delhi, West Bengal and 14 districts of Haryana) or brought in heavy restrictions. Though Mumbai also features prominently in IQAir’s list of the world’s most polluted cities, Maharashtra has chosen to restrict only the sound pollution aspect. Uttar Pradesh, like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, has allowed the sale of ‘green crackers’. The air we breathe is already so very polluted—to the point of reaching hazardous levels—that concessions of any sort appear to be a misadventure. The difference between a ‘green cracker’ and regular cracker is just that the latter uses sodium, copper, barium, calcium, strontium and lithium, all dangerous pollutants, whereas the former is only 30% less polluting as the use of lead, arsenic and barium is banned now. Whether it is Deepavali or Chhat puja, Christmas or New Year, bursting firecrackers is actually not integral to any festival. There’s of course another side to it too. Bans and restrictions badly impact the firecracker industry, once a Rs 2,500 crore worth market that ought to be naturally buzzing around this time, its peak season. After continuous years of bans/restrictions, it claims to be unable to spend to shift to a cleaner product. Also, firecracker units are notorious for employing child labour, with little investment in safety measures. It is, therefore, upon the governments to find alternative livelihood avenues for these ad hoc manufacturers of toxic firecrackers, and of course schools for the children. Deepavali is a festival of lights, not of sound and smoke. Perhaps it is time we eradicate the darkness below the lamp and find the light of wisdom within ourselves.