23 October,2024 11:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Raaina Jain
Delhi has imposed a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2024 (Representational Image/File Pic)
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As Diwali draws near, an annual debate starts taking shape in the country: Should firecrackers be banned? While it is known that air pollution usually increases during the festive season, especially in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, experts have often debated the share of firecrackers contributing to poor AQIs.
It is also an annual tradition for the State governments and the Supreme Court to release directions for regulating firecracker use in the weeks leading up to Diwali. Earlier this month, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee announced a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2025. The order also banned manufacturing, storage and selling of firecrackers, including delivery through online marketing platforms. Last year, the Supreme Court clarified that its regulations of banning all crackers, except green crackers, are to be implemented throughout the country. Closer home, last year, the Bombay High Court directed municipal authorities and the police administration to ensure that the bursting of firecrackers is restricted to three hours between 8 PM to 10 PM.
Also Read: Delhi govt imposes ban on firecrackers to combat air pollution
While these judicial interventions are necessary to regulate the bursting of firecrackers and subsequently control air pollution, people believe it is not enough.
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Delhi is often in the news for its poor air quality, especially during the winter months. It is also one of the few places that has been implementing a complete firecracker ban for a few years now. But has that helped in reducing air pollution?
Bhavreen Kandhari, a city-based environmentalist, says, "The ban is a step in the right direction. It surely helps, just like every other source of emission if checked, helps reduce AQI. Firecrackers contribute significantly to pollution during all festivities."
According to a report released by Delhi Pollution Control Committee, there was a 42 per cent increase in AQI on the next day of Diwali last year.
Source: DPCC
This, Kandhari believes, was majorly due to firecrackers. The same report also shows that AQI on Diwali reduced by 33 per cent in 2023 as compared to 2022, and the AQI on the next day of Diwali reduced by 0.3 per cent between the two years.
Source: DPCC
Several residents reveal that despite the ban, people still buy and burst firecrackers in the city.
Kandhari believes that while the ban is important, several challenges exist in implementation. She says, "One of the key challenges with the firecracker ban is that it's often enforced too late in the year. By the time the ban was announced, manufacturers and traders had already produced and sold large quantities of firecrackers, making them widely available in the market. This leads to easy access, especially with people being able to buy them from neighbouring states where restrictions might be more lenient."
"Also, enforcement of the ban is inconsistent, making it difficult to fully control the situation. Without early intervention and stricter monitoring, both production and sale continue unchecked, thus diluting the effectiveness of the ban. There's a complete lack of enforcement by the police on the ground as well. For the ban to be truly impactful, it needs to be implemented earlier in the year (the ban should be announced now for the next year) with a focus on stopping the supply chain and stronger cross-state coordination to prevent smuggling and illegal sales," she adds.
These challenges also make it difficult for a complete ban to be announced and enforced in other cities.
Ronak Sutaria, a Mumbai resident and founder & CEO of Respirer Living Sciences, a real-time air quality monitoring startup, says, "While Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or State Pollution Control Boards have the authority to issue such bans, the main question is how do we enforce this? On paper, it looks right. But there's no proper mechanism to implement it. The ban has to come with penalties but how will the police force be mobilised for this? Theoretically yes, a ban on firecrackers would help reduce air pollution but practically, the situation is different."
Mumbai-based environmentalist Stalin D backs this, saying, "The ban on firecrackers has largely remained on paper. Some smoke-emitting crackers have been banned. Beyond that, nothing has happened."
Ask him why the restrictions have not been effective and he's quick to say, "The failure of the ban is due to many reasons. The masses believe that crackers are a must during festivals. People have not been able to understand the linkages between air pollution and health disorders. This is despite their children and aged parents suffering. The politicians who can help bring the change themselves encourage the violations and this hazardous activity. For every politician's birthday, loud firecrackers are burst at midnight. This again is done in gross violation of Supreme Court orders banning fireworks beyond 10 PM."
In his words, "A beautiful festival of lights has been turned into a noisy polluting nightmare."
While Mumbai has not imposed a complete ban on firecrackers yet, there have been several restrictions in terms of sales, timings, etc. Has that helped reduce air pollution over the years?
A report compiled by Repository Living Sciences using data from 18 stations in Mumbai presents the following insights:
There is a 19.54 per cent reduction in PM2.5 in 2023 as compared to 2022.
There is a 1.85 per cent reduction in PM2.5 between 2022 and 2023. However, the air quality remained above the safe level limit of 60 across all three years.
The PM2.5 level reduced by 17.86 per cent in 2023 as compared to 2022. However, the levels remained above the safe level.
While the insights show a positive change, it is important to note that a majority of stations recorded PM2.5 above 60, which presents a dire picture. Also, factors beyond firecrackers may have also contributed in the increase or reduction in air pollution.
While restrictions on firecrackers and in some places, a complete ban, are steps to curb air pollution, they are not enough. "The ban is a step in the right direction, but to see real, sustained improvement in air quality, we need long-term systemic changes that address these underlying causes of pollution. A comprehensive approach that includes better waste management, stricter regulation of industrial emissions, promotion of cleaner transportation and policies encouraging green infrastructure will have a more meaningful impact on the AQI," believes Kandhari.
The harms of bursting firecrackers both on the health of living beings and the environment are not unknown. Yet, people continue this practice because many consider it a part of their culture, a way of celebration.
"People believe firecrackers to be inherent in culture. In that sense, if you're banning firecrackers, you are essentially asking for a cultural change and that is not something that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) or other authorities can do. Unless some religious or cultural figure persuades people not to burst firecrackers, just the authorities saying it won't make much of a difference, especially when there are no legal mechanisms to enforce it. A behavioural change and cultural change is required," believes Sutaria.
If one wants to stop or control the bursting of firecrackers, a mindset shift is required which can't come about at the snap of a finger. It needs to start from an early stage.
While firecrackers do play an important role in contributing to air pollution, especially during this time, other factors are also responsible for poor AQI. To manage those, some steps need to be taken around the year beyond restricting firecracker use.
Kandhari suggests the following:
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