Need enforcement of Delhi's firecracker ban

The widespread, callous disregard of the ban is unacceptable and the compliance issue needs to be addressed at different levels

The air was less noxious than usual in the national capital the morning after Diwali. However, that had little to do with the administration or the citizens. It was because weather conditions proved fortuitous, and strong winds, unusual for this time, dispersed a large portion of the emitted pollutants. It is important to note that despite the unusual weather conditions, PM 2.5 pollution at midnight in Delhi after Diwali was 13% higher than last year, as per data analysed by the Centre for Science and Environment.

New Delhi, India - Nov. 1, 2024: Smog and pollution at NH24 near Akshardham Temple area after Diwali festival, People burning fire crackers on the occasion of Diwali festival despite of the ban by Delhi Government in New Delhi, India, on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Photo by RAJ K RAJ / Hindustan Times) (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The question to be asked of the administration — and a section of residents — is why there was open defiance of the Supreme Court directive and the Delhi government’s ban on the sale and use of firecrackers. The effects of firecracker pollutants — not just particulate matter but also toxic residue that lingers in the environment — on health are not entirely unknown to the masses. With little empathy for the suffering of vulnerable humans, it is no surprise that the impact of noise and smoke on animals, inside homes and on the streets, is not even a factor. The impact of this inexplicable defiance of the firecracker ban was exacerbated by the reluctance of the authorities, including an inert police force, to enforce it, likely because opponents of the ban have succeeded in twisting the narrative into one of attack on the Hindu faith and its “customs”.

Deadly Diwali pollution in Delhi and abutting cities has now become an annual fixture. The widespread, callous disregard of the ban is unacceptable and the compliance issue needs to be addressed at different levels — from courts to governments to police. These efforts also need to be backed by bipartisan awareness campaigns.