India Diwali 2024: Use of fireworks renews debate on air pollution in Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — As India prepares for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, people are divided over whether to celebrate by setting off fireworks, worsening the country’s chronic air pollution.

Diwali, which is celebrated on Thursday, is all about fun and exchanging gifts with family and friends. Many Indians light earthen oil lamps or candles. But every year the festivities are tinged by concerns about air pollution, as smoke-emitting fireworks create toxic smog that can take days to dissipate.

The capital New Delhi, one of India’s worst cities for air quality, is particularly affected by the problem and is usually shrouded in toxic gray smog a day after Diwali. Authorities there and in some other states have banned the use and sale of firecrackers since 2017 and asked people to opt for more sustainable options such as eco-friendly firecrackers and light shows, but the rule is often ignored. Firecrackers can be easily purchased from roadside stalls and shops.

Some New Delhi residents say the ban doesn’t make much difference, while others see it as a necessary measure to curb pollution.

Vegetable seller Renu, who goes by one name, enjoys celebrating Diwali in the city. Every year her children set off fireworks at night. She tells them to be careful, but not to use them.

“Diwali is a day of celebration and happiness for us, which comes only once a year, and I believe this ban should not be there,” she said.

Others are against it.

Unlike most children, Ruhaani Mandal, 13, does not set off fireworks. She acknowledges that it is fun, but says it is dangerous for people and animals.

“I have seen firsthand the struggle of my father, who has lost his sense of smell due to pollution, and I see his health deteriorating after the celebration of Diwali,” she said.

In New Delhi and several northern Indian cities, air pollution is extremely high between October and January every year, disrupting businesses and closing schools and offices. Authorities are closing construction sites, restricting diesel-powered vehicles and deploying water sprinklers and anti-smog cannons to control the haze and smog shrouding the skyline.

This year, New Delhi has already been engulfed in thick, toxic smog. On Wednesday, authorities reported an AQI of more than 300, which is categorized as ‘very poor’.

Several studies estimate that more than a million Indians die every year from air pollution-related diseases. High levels of small particles can lodge deep in the lungs and cause major health problems, including chronic respiratory disease.

The misery in New Delhi is not only due to fireworks. Vehicle emissions, farm fires in neighboring countries and dust from construction are the main causes of air pollution in the capital. But health experts say the smoke emitted by fireworks can be more dangerous.

“The smoke produced by fireworks contains heavy metals such as sulphur, lead and toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and heavy metal fumes that are dangerous to our respiratory system,” said Arun Kumar Sharma, professor of community medicine at the University College of New Delhi. Medical Sciences.

Meanwhile, authorities in New Delhi have largely failed to enforce a strict ban on the use of fireworks to avoid offending millions of Hindus across the country, for whom Diwali is one of the biggest festivals. To get around the ban, many sellers are offering fireworks online, some with the convenience of home delivery.

Shopkeeper Gyanchand Goyal said the ban on fireworks has hurt sellers like him and affected their biggest source of income during the festive season.

“The government enforces a restriction on fireworks solely to demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Other than that, I don’t think there are any other consequences to this ban,” he said.