Firecracking our way to pollution
Many people simply don’t seem to care, even about themselves
Like children insisting on doing something just because they have been asked not to do it, Indians enthusiastically burst crackers on Diwali, flouting Supreme Court (SC) guidelines that limited the window when this could be done across India and, in addition, insisted that only green crackers be used in the National Capital Region (NCR).
None of the crackers used in NCR were green (there are none to be had). Most were procured illegally, some smuggled in from Greater Noida and Ghaziabad where officials blithely issued licences to sellers without bothering to verify the required certification as mandated by the court. Some were given licences simply because they promised only to sell “green” crackers. And across the country, the two-hour window, broken up into two in some places, was simply disregarded. It can be argued that the SC order, especially in terms of its reference to green crackers, simply did not give enough time to manufacturers to make and ship these low-emission crackers; it can also be argued that, just as in the case of Sabarimala, where an SC order allowing women of all ages entry into the shrine has not been followed, this is simply about religious sentiments overriding any fear of disregarding the SC order. This also explains why law enforcement agencies chose to look the other way in most cases, although a few have been booked for bursting legal crackers, and outside the permitted time window – perhaps as an exhibit for the court, which is sure to take note of what happened this Diwali, when it reopens for business on November 11.
Still, in cocking a snook at the court’s order, people across the country, and especially the residents of NCR, have only managed to harm themselves. Photos from several parts of the country show people setting off firecrackers wearing anti-pollution masks. With surface winds in the northern plains dying out by the evening of November 7, most parts of North India woke up to a thick smog, largely created by the use of crackers late into the night. Nothing, after all, can help people who don’t want to help themselves. Delhi’s bad air is caused by a variety of factors: its location; wind patterns; stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab; dust from the Thar desert; construction work; and vehicular emissions. Crackers simply make things worse. Crackers, and people who simply don’t seem to care – even about themselves.