In May 2010, in Huston of Texas, USA, a teacher was shot dead at his wife's birthday party by an angry neighbour who killed him and two guests in an argument over loud music. Kelly Danaher was shot by veteran Raul Rodriguez, who insists he was justified in opening fire and acted in self-defence after he began the confrontation on the physical education teacher's lawn. The altercation took place when Rodriguez went over to Danaher's house while they were having a birthday party for his wife.
As per medical research, noise is a horrific health hazard that can take lives due to excessive hypertension and other brain and heart ailments brought in by terrible irritation that causes loss of ability to think clearly and act as a sane creature. Rodriguez found the neighbour’s birthday party too noisy, kept on warning the revellers in vain and finally made several frantic calls to the police which kept saying ‘coming over’ but never ever materialised on the scene. Rodriguez could take it no longer and got into an altercation with the partygoers, killed the teacher and injured two more gravely. The jurors found it very difficult to convict him as he had a right to privacy and noiseless peace at home. They eventually sent him to jail for being too violent and too much in a hurry to use his shotgun.
In another such US incident, a noise-causing neighbour was killed after defying sincere requests from a highly-disturbed person to lower the volume of blasting loudspeakers at home. The jurors acquitted the killer for having been driven insane due to ear-splitting noise.
In India, wonderful people-friendly laws have been made and perfect rules framed to keep decent citizens happy and offenders under control with fitting punishment, but not much relief comes to victims of noise pollution only because the police are either callous or not adequate in number. Every other day, one gets to see news of noise pollution and health problems apart from violent altercations and clashes between groups and individuals.
The festival of lights, Diwali, is incomplete without gorging on delicacies and bursting firecrackers, but medical experts have raised an alarm for patients already suffering from lung and heart diseases, blood pressure and diabetes asking them to be cautious as tiny negligence on their part might worsen their conditions on any festival day when noise is likely to be high. Dr Purshotam lal, Chairman of Metro Hospitals and Heart Institute, says, “During Diwali, cardiac & respiratory problems rise alarmingly due to increase in noise and air pollution due to firecrackers. Post noise, the air gets so filthy toxic that patients of bronchial asthma develop life-threatening infections, particularly the aged and babies.”
Heart patients get startled by the loud noise of crackers which is extremely dangerous for them. lung problems such as asthma can get horribly worse and claim lives. Just after moat of the noise-emitting festivals are over, swarms of patients queue up complaining of high blood pressure, diabetes and breathing problems. Harmful air pollutants lead to cardiovascular diseases such as artery blockages leading to heart attacks. The polluted environment due to crackers’ smoke is very harmful as it leads to increase in fine particulate matter which triggers heart attacks, insufficient blood supply to heart and congestive heart failure. Top cardiologists have warned that patients must stay indoors during Diwali and take their medicines regularly to avoid aggravating their problems. Even, renowned ENT specialists have warned that festival or any such noise may excites the brash, illiterate youngsters, but the kids and the elderly might struggle for life if limits of offence are crossed. The dangerously-high levels of suspended air particles during Diwali cause huge breathing, eye, throat and nose problems. A study done by the World Health Organisation in 2013 found that sudden noise pollution is harmful for heart diseases, hypertension, lack of sleep and even cognitive development in kids.
The equally critical fact that foolishly revelling Indians seem to ignore is that over the recent years, Chinese firms have gained a near-monopoly over many of the Diwali products such as decorative electric lamps, blinking Rs fairy lights', other fancy items and statues and many more. The nonstop social media campaign to boycott Chinese goods this Diwali seems to have had only a little or no impact on the callous masses. Social activists have said the boycott would have a two-fold advantage, that of crippling the Chinese economy and promotion of Swadeshi products. But not shockingly, traders and shopkeepers believe any boycott now will affect sales. They rightly say that unless the government bans import of Chinese goods, sales cannot be effectively stopped. Even, the greediest of shopkeepers feel sorry the Indian manufacturers are so inefficient that even idols of Ganesh and lakshmi are imported from China at a much cheaper price. Manoj Kataria, who sells Rs fairy lights' and lEDs, says ruefully that politicians are responsible for all this mess. It is also common knowledge that politicians and their corrupt bureaucrats do precious little to promote home manufacture. They want cuts and commissions in every deal without going out to help by way of truly good infrastructure and reassuring institutional financial institutions to provide timely loans and services. So, promoters and entrepreneurs stay away as their cost of production shall never be competitive. Indian goods have vanished entirely and indigenous skills are completely lost with age-old manufacturing communities languishing in penury. There is also big rumour that the Chinese export to India such stuffs that contain more toxins than usual.
The chemical elements and compounds used to make fireworks and crackers that turn extremely poisonous when burnt: lead, charcoal, magnesium, potassium chlorate, sulphur dioxide, strontium, copper, barium green, sodium yellow, titanium, and aluminium.
Interestingly, nowhere in any epic or scripture, there is one mention of fireworks or crackers burnt on occasions of victory celebration. Only oil lamps were lit up to mark joy and excitement. Folklore has it that some 2,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered firecrackers by accident. They used to burn bamboo to mark the lunar New Year. As the bamboo caught fire, air in the bamboo expanded and it burst. The ‘popping’ sound was the first firecracker. Other countries imported the idea and the goods to use during celebration events. India, being the dear and closest neighbour, picked the culture, twisted it to convenience and began abusing it madly. That’s how the wedding processions of the rich got to include fireworks first as a mark of aristocracy and power.
As in the recent years, this year too, the shops, if not controlled or regulated fittingly, will splash across the temporary counters such Chinese fireworks as ‘Funny Bunny’ competing with ‘CoolChicks’ and ‘ChilliFirst’trying to steal the thunder of ‘PatakaMaska’, ‘BabyDoll’ and ‘Bhaijaan’. But all these poison stuffs will most certainly send many newborn and aged Indians to hospitals with ailments including mental problems because of exposure to their harmful toxins and blasting noise.
The Supreme Court has proven to be the saviour when the political executive with all its callous machinery, dysfunctional gears and equipment fails miserably to give relief to citizen-victims of life-threatening ‘noise and air pollution’. Only days ago, taking cognizance of the grave fact, the apex court has put a conclusive ban on firecrackers in Delhi during Diwali, sending joyful signals of unbelievable power of the judiciary that can make good things happen and offenders bite dust. The most honourable court could have done even better by making the ruling applicable across the country, not only Delhi.
The DGP of Odisha too has not lagged behind. A medicine doctor by education, Dr Rajendra Sharma, a tough top cop, has passed circular across the police stations to make sure officers rush to people’s relief, even of their own accord, wherever noise and toxic air are affecting the environment adversely. On formal telephonic complaint, the police have to go on the overdrive to have offenders lifted and goods and equipment seized. That’s pretty good news. But since the police are used to being casual about public complaints, the corresponding punishment for erring officers be made public so as to keep duty-evading cops on their toes!