The national Capital seems to have graduated from traditional firecrackers to sky-lanterns this year. However, despite its claims of being 'eco-friendly', these new-age lights in the form of hot-air balloons come with serious fire hazards. Besides, even if they do not cause noise pollution, environmentalists believe that they do contribute to air and land pollution.
Sky-lanterns are small hot-air balloons where a small fire is suspended before releasing it into the open sky. "These lanterns need naked fire to float in the air and cannot be manually controlled once they take flight. Wind is their prime medium. Hence, there is a high possibility that it can turn into an unfortunate incident. The hot-air balloon may hit anything and if it hits a flammable thing, a fire hazard is imminent," said AK Sharma, Delhi Fire Service Department Chief. letting a large number of these lanterns take flight together and if the wind velocity is over 20 km per hour, a major disaster is definitely on cards, he added.
If the traders are to be believed, these lanterns come as an 'eco-friendly' alternative to crackers and fireworks. But, their claims seem to be far from reality. Calling it a hoax, environmentalists have clarified that sky-lanterns are in no way eco-friendly and safe to use as they pose grave risk to the environment.
"The litter left by sky-lanterns is another issue as once the fire fizzles out, the empty balloon will fall back on the ground. Some manufacturers claim they use bio-degradable material, but a small metal rod is hidden inside the lamp to hold the wax which can fall anywhere, injuring birds, animals, livestock and marine life," said Anumita Roychowdhury, head of air pollution control team at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
"On occasions, where large numbers of such lanterns are to be released, the permission for safety aspects from the Fire Service Department should be made mandatory," opined Sharma.