HYDERABAD: AS the air quality levels continue to deteriorate across the State, the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) has decided to step up efforts to improve public awareness about the ill-effects of firecrackers on the environment ahead of the Deepavali festival. Apart from emitting bright and colourful lights, firecrackers also emit fumes and other harmful gases and contribute to the air pollution during the festive season.
However, it may be noted that while the State PCB has restricted itself to spreading awareness, PCBs in other parts of the country, including those in West Bengal and Assam, are taking up stringent steps to combat air pollution.
To address the concerns regarding rising air pollution in Telangana, the State PCB plans to measure the impact of various firecrackers on air quality. It will then share the results with the public, thus spreading awareness about the harmful gases and particles they are exposed to because of firecrackers. Apart from monitoring the air-pollution levels in the city, the board will also take up awareness campaigns to educate people about the Supreme Court’s guidelines for bursting crackers, a TSPCB senior official told TNIE.
“We do not have any power to confiscate highly-polluting crackers or initiate any stringent action against those who violate norms. But we can make people more aware of the ill-effects of crackers. We are also planning to study the impact of air-crackers on the air and bring it into the public domain,” said the TSPCB official. He added that this will be part of the annual awareness program ahead of Deepavali.
For the first time, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has empowered its officers to lodge FIR against people found in contravention of the rules. For this, eight mobile teams of the WBPCB will patrol in different parts of the capital city of Kolkata, Salt Lake, Rajarhat and Howrah on October 27 and 28. According to reports, the WBPCB officers will lodge formal complaints against the violators of the court order and will also impose environmental fines. Meanwhile, the Central PCB has also stepped up efforts against violators and deputed as many as 46 teams across the city to report any violations contributing to the rise in pollution levels.
Meanwhile, the pollution control board in Assam has reportedly written to every district administration of the State to ensure proper implementation of the directives of the Supreme Court regarding the use of firecrackers.
What are green-crackers?
Traditional crackers, that are widely available in the markets, cause particulate matter pollution. These crackers contain several chemicals to produce different colours and effects but which also contribute to pollution. In this regard, last year the Supreme Court had asked the manufacturers to produce green crackers. Green crackers are basically low-emission crackers developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories, which cause 30 to 35 per cent lower emission of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and 35 to 40 per cent lower emission of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. CSIR-NEERI has now successfully invented SWAS, SAFAL, STAR, capable of 30 per cent reduction in particulate matter using potassium nitrate as oxidant
