Scientists To Work On Zero Pollution Firecrackers

Every year Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated with great pomp show nation wide. An additional concern that has entered the festive scenario is the environmental setbacks faced due to it. The smog in metropolitan cities due to air pollution is a statement on what our atmosphere is treated like. It also endangers the health of the citizens. Thinking along these lines, Supreme Court has banned the sale of firecrackers in New Delhi and NCR, to curb air pollution. The national capital and surrounding regions made headlines with the thick smog in their air, reason being extensive pollution. This move by the SC had faced a lot of backlash from industries and sellers of firecrackers. There is no denying the urgent need to solve the problem in New Delhi regarding the deteriorating climate condition. It is being pondered over whether this is really the solution that will work.

The Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said that scientists have been asked to develop zero-pollution firecrackers that do not cause health hazards to children. The minister launched the ‘Run for Clean Air’ campaign as part of ‘Clean Air Campaign’. He added that the after effects of pollution can harm children and their health severely. Other than government led campaigns, some corporate houses have taken up pollution control as their CSR project. Jindal Steel, Mitsubishi, ANA group and many more giants are involved in curbing environmental degradation through several projects.

The main challenge is to fight the mentality around ‘just one day’. Many people think that firing crackers on the day of the festival will not do any harm, but it makes a huge difference. Not only does it impact our own health, but stray animals and birds are impacted by the noise of the crackers.

In the past few decades, campaigns against a ‘crackers free’ Diwali have been around, and for good reason. Greenpeace published a report early in 2017, stating that as many as 1.2 million deaths occur due to air pollution every year. It also said that Delhi is the most polluted city in the country. The number of deaths in India caused by air pollution is only a “fraction less” than the number of deaths caused by tobacco usage. This adds to the 3% of the GDP, lost due to air pollution. It is everyone’s responsibility to be careful, even in the wake of a festival, towards the environment. At the end, it comes to impact our own health.