Two days ahead of the festival of lights, senior officials of the Bengal pollution control board (PCB) were flooded with questions on the environmental hazards of bursting crackers and ways to deal with those who dare to defy the norms, during an interactive session organised to spread awareness on air pollution and Diwali celebrations.
Students from many schools and colleges in the city were present at the session. Also, students at other schools and colleges from across the state joined the session online.
“Green firecrackers are being manufactured based on the formulations provided by the CSIR and NEERI. The purpose is to reduce emission by 30 to 50 per cent. The sound of sound-emitting crackers, according to this formulation, has been restricted to around 110 decibel... and that of the light-emitting ones, to 90 decibel,” Rajesh Kumar, PCB’s member-secretary, told the audience.
“So, there is a significant lowering of both sound and air pollution through such crackers.”
Senior PCB officials said the idea behind the interaction with students was to spread awareness so that they understand the impact on the environment and become catalysts of change. Be the change you want to see this Diwali, they told students.
“Diwali is not a festival of pollution. The particulates released from bursting crackers one day will continue to hang in the air for a considerable period, affecting our health,” PCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said.
“You have seen how bursting crackers at the Eden Gardens during the last (World Cup) match left a horse dead and a policeman fighting for life with 21 stitches.”
Officials said particulates in the air hang around 500m above the surface in winter, when the air speed is low and usually there is no rain. During other seasons, the pollutants hang around 2km above the surface.
The air pollution level dropped significantly on Durga Puja’s Navami (October 23) because of the smart showers the city received that day, the officials said.
“There is a perception that light-emitting crackers are better than the sound-emitting ones. The more colourful a firecracker is, the more toxic it is,” Rudra said.
Besides the board, schools across the city have decided to spread a message to the students urging them to celebrate a safe, non-polluting Diwali.
On Friday morning, Rammohan Mission High School sent a message to all children.
“Just remember that for our safety we must apply our good senses judiciously. No playing with Fire and No use of banned/harmful Firecrackers. Use Green Firecrackers only. Accept the challenge to Celebrate Diwali without polluting our environment,” said the message from principal Sujoy Biswas, which was sent to all parents.
At Indus Valley World School, students were told to celebrate a safe Diwali.
“Teachers and senior students asked junior students to wear cotton clothes, to keep a bucket of water where they are bursting crackers and to maintain a distance while bursting crackers,” said Amita Prasad, director of the school.
“There is a perception that light-emitting crackers are better than the sound-emitting ones. The more colourful a firecracker is, the more toxic it is,” Rudra said.
Besides the board, schools across the city have decided to spread a message to the students urging them to celebrate a safe, non-polluting Diwali.
On Friday morning, Rammohan Mission High School sent a message to all children.
“Just remember that for our safety we must apply our good senses judiciously. No playing with Fire and No use of banned/harmful Firecrackers. Use Green Firecrackers only. Accept the challenge to Celebrate Diwali without polluting our environment,” said the message from principal Sujoy Biswas, which was sent to all parents.
At Indus Valley World School, students were told to celebrate a safe Diwali.
“Teachers and senior students asked junior students to wear cotton clothes, to keep a bucket of water where they are bursting crackers and to maintain a distance while bursting crackers,” said Amita Prasad, director of the school.
