Festivals in India have multifaceted significance and are religiously marked by various practices such as fasting, abstinence, playing with colours, bursting crackers, etc. In India, festivals bring reprieve from daily grind and enthuses a sense of brotherhood among different communities following ritually diverse customs and traditions.
Festivals are an occasion to celebrate with great fervour, but how many of us ever spared a moment to think of the harmful effects before going out to buy a box of fire-crackers?
Air pollution
Bursting of crackers leads to pollution of air, besides releasing toxic gases. Every year, Diwali leads to an alarming rise in the level of Respirable Suspended Particulate Material (RSPM) in the air, due to bursting of fire crackers. These minute particles can contribute to various health issues including asthma and bronchitis.
Bursting crackers might give us some temporary but its harmful effects give us enough reasons to refrain from it this Diwali.
State Governments of several states are ensuring a complete ban on busting of firecrackers and use of loudspeakers beyond permissible limits.
Noise Pollution
Loudspeakers, fire crackers and loud musical instruments, appear to be one of the biggest culprits of noise pollution during festivities. Since the advent of urbanisation, people in the metros have been grappling with the problem of noise pollution in everyday living, and any kind of public celebration only aggravates this lurking issue.
People have always violated the permissible limits set for residential neighbourhoods by the Supreme Court during Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali and the list goes on. We generally tend to ignore the health impacts of unremitting exposure to high-decibel sounds, which bring health issues in adults like sleep disturbance, hypertension, tinnitus and hearing loss.
The local authorities are expected to maintain decorum during festivals but we as citizens should also be responsible enough to keep noise within permissible limits.
Water Pollution
Ganpati celebrations shortly followed by Durga Puja generally leaves immersion areas littered with flowers and parts of idols. The mess created by bursting of crackers cannot be ignored as well. Plaster of Paris used in idols add to the water pollution. Paints used for decorating the idols, loaded with high levels of mercury and lead, increases the toxin levels of water bodies after immersion days.
It’s high time for people to switch to eco-friendly methods of celebration. In several parts of the country, craftsmen have started using organic paints and clay for making idols.
Spreading the message of civic sense this Diwali might help to curb or at least decrease the pollution levels. We as apparent law abiding citizens must get our social act together before blaming it on local administrators and civic amenities. In today’s world, one can easily find sustainable ways of adding to the glory of the festivals.
