Firecracker smog in Delhi set to worsen

Government reluctant to step in to curb firecrackers on Diwali, a major annual Hindu festival

With a toxic smog beginning to envelop New Delhi as winter approaches, residents of the Indian capital are set to make matters a lot worse by burning hundreds of thousands of firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali early next month.

India, which has 14 of the world’s most polluted cities, has made little effort this year to curb the sale of ear-splitting, firecrackers that explode through Diwali night.

The smoke from them shrouds New Delhi and its satellite cities in a haze that can linger for days, as wind speeds drop in the cooler weather, adding to pollution caused by the burning of crop residue, vehicle emissions and industrial gases.

Top court hesitant on ban

Authorities, reluctant to step in to curb the rampant use of firecrackers on Diwali, one of the most important festivals for millions of Hindus across the country, are passing the buck to the Supreme Court to restrict the sale and use of fireworks.

“It’s not always easy for the government to step into sensitive issues like banning fireworks on Diwali but it works for us and others if the court decides to step in on this,” said a senior official in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, who declined to be identified in line with government policy.

A spokesman for the central environment ministry declined to comment. A spokesman for the Delhi city government was not available for comment.

Last year, the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers in and around the capital city, which has a population of about 20 million. That reduced the use of fireworks — cutting resulting emissions by about 30 per cent — officials said. Last year, the smog a few weeks after Diwali was so bad that Delhi resorted to emergency measures such as shutting schools and banning construction.

Despite rising pollution levels, the Delhi government and the federal environment ministry have shied away from asking the Supreme Court for a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers, according to the petitions reviewed by Reuters.

This year, the court — which has heard submissions from the city government, the environment ministry and the firecracker industry — has so far refrained from giving an order to ban the sale of firecrackers.

The court hasn’t indicated whether it will make a ruling before Diwali, that falls this year on November 7.

“The situation is going to be grim,” Ritwick Dutta, an environment lawyer associated with the not-for-profit Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, told Reuters. “You cannot have something monitored solely by the Supreme Court whose ruling last year can be seen only as a stopgap arrangement.”

While Diwali is celebrated throughout the country, New Delhi accounts for nearly half of India’s demand for firecrackers.

Hypocrisy claim

Shopkeepers in the trade say setting off firecrackers on Diwali is part of an ancient Hindu tradition and the Supreme Court must respect the sentiments of Hindus.

Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said he would personally distribute firecrackers if the Supreme Court decides to ban the sale of Diwali fireworks.

“There should be a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers, and not only on Diwali. I think it’s hypocrisy to target Hindu festivals like Diwali,” Bagga said.