Not A Cracker Of A Curb

One raging debate dominated social media and family gatherings this Diwali. The $64,000 question was whether to follow tradition and burst crackers or to take note of pollution hazards and abstain from bursting crackers. Delhi took the initiative, when the Supreme Court banned sale of crackers on 9 October — two weeks before Diwali — in the National Capital Region (NCR) hoping to see effects of its suspension in the light of the severe pollution and smog-like conditions prevalent in Delhi during this period. The results are somewhat encouraging. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in New Delhi this Diwali had improved compared to last year.

To get into the specifics, the air quality index (AQI) value on the day of Diwali, Thursday, 19 October was 319, putting it in “very poor” category, while the AQI last Diwali (30 October 2016) had touched “severe” levels after recording an index value of 431. As per the CPCB’s numbers, particulate matters — PM2.5 and PM10 — were the major contributors to “very poor” air quality on Thursday. Particulate matter consists of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The most health-damaging particles are those with a diameter of 10 microns or less, which can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs. The WHO says that chronic exposure to particles contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as, of lung cancer.

Now that the country continues to debate about the pollution-causing crackers, and even planning to explore the option of pollution-free crackers, there are those such as cracker manufacturers of Sivakasi who debate if crackers are indeed the culprit. Vinay Pathak, General Manager and Technical Head, 3M India, Personal Safety Division says, “The effects of this chemical smoke stays post Diwali too. Use an AC filter which can capture PM2.5 in your AC or a good air purifier, inside your home. It very important to use a respirator (not a mask) when being outdoors during high AQI levels.”

While it is difficult to quantify the immediate effect of the ban on firecrackers, residents across the NCR felt hopeful this year with neighbourhoods reporting much lesser noise and smoke. According to data provided by Safar (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, a tool to measure air quality), the 24-hour rolling average of PM2.5 and PM10 were 154 and 256 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3), respectively at around 11 p.m. on Diwali. The condition was similar, if not worse, in the neighbouring regions of Delhi such as Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad, where crackers were burst as usual raising question marks on the administration’s role  in enforcing the ban. In fact, air quality swung back to pre-Diwali levels with most monitoring stations in the NCR registering “very poor” levels on the index. This was primarily due to high concentrations of particulate matter 2.5, a class of pollutants implicated in aggravating respiratory diseases. The statistics at several monitoring stations in the capital show a worrying picture. PM levels are over 15 times permissible limits.

Data from 15 stations on the Sunday after the Diwali said that AQI stood at 329 or the “red zone”, but several points below the “maroon zone” or 400, when air quality is deemed to be “severely” bad. On 14 October, the day after Diwali, the AQI had dropped to “severe”. Despite the cracker sale curbs, the 24-hour average level of PM2.5 during Diwali and the morning after (12 p.m.-12 a.m., October 19-20) has been 397 ug/m3. This is 6.6 times higher than the standards and more than two times higher than the levels of pre-Diwali day when the 24-hour average was 184 ug/m3.

Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change had urged scientists to develop zero-pollution firecrackers that do not cause health hazards to children, during an event in October. “Banning firecrackers has positive impacts on reducing PM2.5, other toxic chemicals as well as noise pollution. This is a step in the right direction,” says Hem Dholakia, Senior Research Associate at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). It is also important to note that Delhi’s pollution comes from multiple sources and is influenced by meteorological conditions. “We must be careful not to attribute lower pollution values next Diwali solely to the firecracker ban or higher values to its failure,” says Dholakia.

Quality fireworks are required, along with cleaner forms of celebrations with community-led fireworks being organised by RWAs. CSR initiatives could help remove stubble from farms in North India,” says Damandeep Singh, Director, India, Carbon Disclosure Project.

Major firework dealers, manufacturers and distributors from Sivakasi, the cracker-manufacturing hub of India, say that in the “likely future, there seems to be very little possibility of pollution-free crackers”. A representative from Sivakasi-based Jubilant Crackers points out that they have nitrate-based crackers. “These are already environmentally friendly. We can’t compare pollution levels from fireworks, as there are other sources like industries and vehicles, which are a major cause of pollution, while crackers are just used occasionally for religious festivals,” he says. “Any type of burning will cause smoke and pollution, so completely pollution-free crackers will be difficult,” says the representative.