Supreme Court’s ban on the sale of firecrackers during the Diwali season is not the ideal fix
The Supreme Court has said that no firecrackers are to be sold in the Delhi and nearby NCR until November 1. This is ostensibly to measure how much air quality declines during Diwali in the capital city. Those who have been living in the city for decades can tell you that air quality in and around Delhi following Diwali goes for an absolute toss. Rampant and unrestricted use of firecrackers leads to massive increases in noxious sulphurous gases, nitrogen oxides and huge amounts of particulate matter. However, banning anything is not the solution. Those determined to make a noise will find ingenious ways of smuggling them into the city and its suburbs, much like how those who want to drink in Ahmedabad and Baroda have figured how to stock up. The ban could, however, lead to reductions in the amount of firecrackers burned by casual users. Worse still for the court, this decision will be seen by some as an attack on ‘Hinduism’ and will undeniably lead to immense amounts of ‘whataboutery’ on social media. Others, particularly those who care about the pollution in the city and how it impacts their quality of life, will undoubtedly welcome this decision. However, given that there is still more than 10 days before Diwali, this decision is likely to be challenged as will any reversal. It is strange how ‘atishbaazi’ became synonymous with Diwali and over the past few years, this phenomenon has become much more pronounced as the Indian economy has improved. From minor burning of firecrackers, lakhs of rupees go up in smoke every Diwali. The simple sparkler has been replaced with noise and smoke. While campaigns in schools telling children to ask their families to ease up on firecrackers worked initially, things seem to have gone back to normal. There are, however, a couple of ways out. First, it may not be a bad idea for municipalities and State Governments to have communal fireworks displays instead of mass chaos. Well-planned pyrotechnic displays are an art form in themselves and several cities and countries do such displays. In the US, on their independence day, almost every major city does a major fireworks display. The second solution would be to outrightly ban the worst most polluting firecrackers and set standards. The firecracker industry is unregulated and has been known to have used child labour in the past and currently, India is seeing mass imports of Chinese firecrackers, many of which are banned even in China. And while the public can buy firecrackers, all but the least harmful should have punitive rates of taxation, just like cigarettes. While one can argue that smoking has not gone down because of taxes in India, high taxes have brought down smoking levels in the West.
And it would be wise for the Government and the media to highlight just how poor Delhi’s air has become. While there is no doubt that burning firecrackers is the right of an individual, particularly one who wants to celebrate, they must realise that they will breathe the same air, as will their children. Rising rates of asthma and other pulmonary diseases should worry parents. While Indians are a selfish lot, we should think about our own children and control our desire to burn money spectacularly on Diwali. But the Supreme Court should allow us to enjoy Diwali the way it is meant to be, with a few sparklers and a couple of rockets.