Beyond tradition or trade, public health is non-negotiable
tory norms and shift the polluting units to industrial zones.
Both private transporters and government took a financial hit, but by 2002, the Capital’s Cng-run public transport became the largest such green fleet in the world. It is only in the last decade that the manic growth in the number of private vehicles reversed the benefits of the CNG switchover.
Many argue that the sources of air pollution lie elsewhere and that Diwali is anyway a one-day phenomenon. Indeed, a study by Iit-kanpur listed vehicular emissions, construction and road dust, fumes from coal-fired power plants, smoke from farm stubble burning, and urban garbage and leaf burning the main contributors to Delhi’s air pollution.
Ideally, Delhi should simultaneously address these factors. But that would take an administrative miracle. And every time there is an attempt to tackle one of these issues, critics point to the rest. The city folks cite stubble burning as the real problem to question the odd-and-even road space rationing. The farmers point at vehicular pollution to make light of polluting farming practices.
Whataboutery does not help. Firecracker burning should stop precisely because the air is already so bad due to so many factors. Otherwise, for the suffering and susceptible, it will add insult to injury. The counter-argument is akin to telling someone who is being slow-poisoned by residual pesticides and chemicals in food round-the-year that a one-off dose of cyanide would make no difference.
Fuelled by gunpowder, fireworks are the worst possible cocktail of toxins one could inhale. The metallic compounds that colour their explosions can damage the brain, lungs and hamper bone growth among children. They often contain carcinogenic or hormone-disrupting substances that can seep into soil and water, not to mention the lungclogging smoke they release and plastic debris they scatter. One has to be suicidal to ignore the damage.
The religious arguments do not cut much ice. Gunpowder was unknown to mankind for several hundreds of years after the city of Ayodhya was lit up to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ram. Fireworks were invented in China. Like many borrowed practices, we probably adopted and made it an Indian tradition. But even China, the proud inventor, is limiting its use.
According to Xinhua news agency, at least 444 cities, including 10 provincial capitals, have banned fireworks or restricted the time and place to set them off. Both Beijing and Shanghai have imposed stricter regulations. Their sales have tanked over the years, HT reported last week.
In Delhi, the highest court had to intervene because the administration and the civil society failed in their duties. Public health is non-negotiable. We do not need a gas chamber to celebrate the festival of light.