It’s the annual chorus: don’t use firecrackers to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. Firecrackers add to the air pollution, leading to deterioration in the air quality and causing trouble especially to people with respiratory conditions. Even healthy individuals are vulnerable to the effects of the Diwali-related air pollution. Exposure to pollutants over several days of celebrations leads to respiratory irritations, reduced lung function and development of respiratory conditions. We expose our children to hazardous air quality, which is extremely unhealthy for them. Children exposed to high levels of air pollution may face developmental delays, both physical and cognitive, and an increased risk of conditions such as autism spectrum disorders.
Another annual chorus is the opposition to the call for shunning firecrackers. “Why do people have problems with the Hindu festivals only?” question people who have a fancy for bursting firecrackers. “No one calls for banning animal sacrifice during the Muslim festivals of Id,” they add.
It’s not a communal issue; it’s an issue of our health. Indiscriminate use of firecrackers on Diwali adds to the level of pollutants in the air and makes the air quality worse. Pollution doesn’t discriminate between the Hindu and the Muslim. Everyone, irrespective of their religion, is affected by the poor air quality because air is one of the basic needs of all humans—the others are clean and safe drinking water, and food. Every year, the onset of winters in India is accompanied by a massive drop in the quality of air that we breathe. Delhi has the worst air quality. In fact, Delhi has the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted cities in the world. Yes, you read it right—in the world. In the last week of October, the most polluted cities of the world were Delhi and Lahore.
Air pollution is a slow poison: it kills us bit by bit. It causes several health issues, not just respiratory disorders. Air pollution can also cause cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, hypertension and stroke; increase the risk of lung cancer; lead to neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases; is linked to complications in reproductive health, including reduced fertility, preterm birth and low birth weight; and weaken the immune system.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines air pollution as “contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.” A tool to measure this is the Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI ranges between 50 and 500 and reflects the concentration of harmful pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM 10), nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide, and ozone. AQI level below 50 is considered good, and values above 100 make the air unhealthy, especially for the sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, and individuals with respiratory conditions. In India, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) provides live data about air quality in major cities. Several areas in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) are already reporting an AQI exceeding 300, indicating very poor quality. AQI between 401 and 500 indicates ‘severe’ air quality and above 500 is ‘severe plus’. Historically, Delhi’s AQI has either been in the ‘severe’ or in the ‘severe plus’ categories during the winters.
Clean air is becoming scarce worldwide. WHO data show that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. In winters, clean air becomes scarcer—a phenomenon called smog, a combination of smoke and fog, makes the air quality worse. Smog prevents pollutants in the air from flying away. The particulate matter and the poisonous gases remain suspended in air.
Even before Diwali, there is at least a 15% rise in the number of patients suffering from respiratory diseases in Delhi. There is a surge of patients in the eye, skin and lung outpatient departments (OPDs) at most hospitals in the national capital. Respiratory illnesses in Delhi typically peak in November, post Diwali, but this year, even before Diwali, Delhi is grappling with rising pollution levels, and people are getting watery eyes and coughing when they venture out.
Air pollution can be tackled at personal, government, and national levels. The government has been creating awareness about rising pollution levels and some states have even banned the use of firecrackers. In Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has ordered the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-II) in Delhi-NCR on October 21 after the overall air quality index dropped to ‘very poor’ category in the region. This is the time to ponder over what we can do at the personal level. Can we not, for the sake of our children, the future generation, not make some behavioural change? Limiting the use of private vehicles could be one. Not using firecrackers on Diwali and other celebrations could be another. We can’t even imagine what people with respiratory conditions go through when they breathe bad air. They choke. Do we want to choke to our death? Of course, there are precautions that could be used when the AQI rises to dangerous levels. Use of face masks can significantly reduce particulate matter inhalation. Staying indoors, keeping windows and using HEPA-filtered air purifiers can improve air quality in homes. Antioxidant-rich foods and proper hydration can support the body’s natural detoxification processes, mitigating some of the effects of pollution.
Diwali is a festival of lights. It is the day to worship Laxmi, the goddess of money. Let’s keep it like that.
