Should firecrackers be banned in Diwali?

Should firecrackers be banned in Diwali?

Diwali - the festival of lights, vigor and joy - is getting hazy under the influence of air and noise pollution. Those twinkling crackers and zestful rockets are the reason why children and adults alike enjoy the festival to its fullest but what about the environment we are living in? We are now coming across terms such as “eco-friendly” Diwali which implies usage of low decibel crackers to reduce noise pollution but what about air pollution? Even these low decibel crackers contribute to air contamination to a greater extent.

Yes, they must be banned:

1. Toxic polluting of air: Firecrackers, merely for the sake of entertainment, emit nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide and particulate matter which are so minute that they have a propensity to get lodged in the lung and can even enter the bloodstream. Patients of asthma and other respiratory disorders report discomfort and worsening of conditions during Diwali.

2. Chemical hazards: Firecrackers are made of chemicals which are lethal to health. Copper causes irritation of respiratory tract; Cadmium causes anemia and damages the kidney; Lead affects the nervous system; Sodium is bad for skin; Zinc causes vomiting; Nitrate can lead to mental impairment; Nitrite, which is the most lethal of them all, can send one to coma.

3. Noise pollution: High decibels of noise pollution created by firecrackers can cause temporary and sometimes permanent hearing impairment. Other problems that people of old age face on Diwali nights are sleeping disorders, restlessness, rise in blood pressure, and even heart attacks.

4. Accidents: Every year, there happen so many accidents due to misuse or improper usage of firecrackers. Lives are lost and some are maimed for the rest of their life. Playing with fire, the most hazardous element of nature cannot be fun for everyone especially when every nook and corner of the country joins to emit Sulphur and Nitrite together the whole night.

5. Inhuman conditions of workers: The conditions of those working in factories that produce these crackers, are deadly. With no real precautionary measure or proper shield, they work days and nights with these chemicals and the result is seen when there happens an accident. Child labors are incorporated to keep up with the demands of these crackers during Diwali. If we buy these crackers, it would be like contributing to their inhuman condition for another year.

6. Toxic garbage: The day next to Diwali witnesses burnt garbage which is usually toxic elements such as magnesium and phosphorus.

7. Harm to property and economy: Crores are spent every year in these burnt fire crackers which ultimately go towards contaminating the natural resources and sometimes properties and lives are lost too due to accidents from these firecrackers.

No, it shouldn’t be banned:

1. Traditions: The burning of firecrackers has been in the Hindu tradition for years and suddenly implementing a ban on it might hurt their religious sentiments. Fireworks have been an inherent part of the Diwali celebrations and not just Hindus, but people of other religion equally partake in this festival.

2. Reforms: Instead of banning the fireworks, there could be reformatory measures to lessen the amount of these firecrackers that could be burnt in a single day. Some areas near hospitals and old age homes should have firecracker prohibition rules which should be strictly implemented.

Conclusion:

Whatever measures are taken every year to lessen noise and air pollution ultimately get hazed in the heavy smoke of these crackers and unless a complete ban is imposed on them, nothing could be done to make Diwali actually “eco-friendly.” Chinese crackers which are extremely hazardous have been banned but still the police recovered a great quantity of these crackers in Kolkata recently. Banning them completely seems to be the only way left.