After 'One Night Of Fun' And #CrackersWaliDiwali, North India Is Choking, Streets Are Littered With Fire Cracker Waste
Diwali is one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. But the aftermath of the festival proves to be hazardous, especially for the capital city of the country. Even after awareness about the harms of burning fire crackers, people go forth with it, considering it to be a part of their tradition, not realizing that it is DEEPawali, a festival of lights and not of noise and air pollution.
We know from the news (and personal experience) that the air quality in Delhi had been worsening since before the festival, what with stubble and illegal garbage dumps burning in NCR, but last night, the city felt like it would choke.
And not just Delhi, worsening of air in different parts of the country, especially North India, due to the bursting of fire crackers is being reported.
ANI shared pictures of people bursting crackers on Marine Drive on Diwali night. It might seem beautiful but the truth of the matter is, no one cleaned the mess up after their night of festivities.
Maharashtra: People bursting crackers at Marine Drive in Mumbai. #Diwali pic.twitter.com/g8pMs9yw0S
¡ª ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2019
ANI tweeted some pictures from Moradabad showing the cracker waste left behind by people. On one hand we talk about Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and being environment friendly on the other we are not only polluting the air more but also littering our environment.
Fire cracker waste lying on roads in Moradabad; major pollutant PM 2.5 at 115 ?g/m3 and PM 10 at 193 ?g/m3 pic.twitter.com/R2qtt4QNIn
¡ª ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 28, 2019
People shared the PM 2.5 levels from different parts of the country before and during the Diwali night:
We will need this air even after today.
¡ª Rahul Singh (@socialRahulS) October 27, 2019
Happy Diwali. Damage is done. @AQI_India @pranaair pic.twitter.com/UTHVyRO4jU
Not even your @Olacabs is safe. Rather than having filters to protect from pollution it seems the car is absorbing the pollution, making us the air purifier of the streets.#HappyDeepavali #AirPollution @AQI_India @pranaair pic.twitter.com/99C2TcViuX
¡ª Caroline Hasl (@CarolineHasl) October 27, 2019
888. Happy Diwali! Delhi, we did it again. @ArvindKejriwal @CPCB_OFFICIAL @DelhiBreathe @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/pPYjbK67wF
¡ª Rohit Bansal (@rohitbsl) October 27, 2019
0-50 is good air.
¡ª New Delhi Nature Society (@NDNS_HQ) October 27, 2019
Gurugram is at 1800.@AQI_India @CarolineHasl @BhavreenMK @rsuri54 @vimlendu @JasjeevSinghTOI @joydeepthakur @LetMeBreathe_In @MRTB_India @lifeindia2016 @yamunajiye @vikranttongad @zenrainman @LogicalIndians @kanchikohli @jksmith34 @GretaThunberg @bahardutt pic.twitter.com/37EWsi5qT3
Who cares If The #AQI is bad & We Breathe #PollutedAir ?
¡ª Ketan Nardhani (@ketan83) October 28, 2019
Be It #Delhi or #Mumbai Citizens ignoring law & believe in display of fire works. So many crackers were being bursted till late night. @AQI_India #pollutionfreediwali #GreenDiwali @deespeak @TandonRaveena @RichaChadha pic.twitter.com/JfSjp7oIYF
11:00 PM, Lucknow. Readings are off the chart. @AQI_India @pranaair @CPCB_OFFICIAL pic.twitter.com/lNXHXeFKNt
¡ª Rahul Singh (@socialRahulS) October 27, 2019
Just landed in Delhi after the good air in Goa. pic.twitter.com/QsXPkIhfO1
¡ª Shikhar Verma (@shikhar2907) October 27, 2019
All these images have been retweeted by AQI India.
In some places in Delhi NCR, the pollution levels are 16-20 times higher than the safe limit. We are literally breathing poison and it is all the consequence of #crackerwalidiwali that some people seem to be proud to celebrate.
When people are suggested to not do something that harms the environment, especially at a time when we are witnessing the effects of climate change unfold in front of our eyes, it is not an attack on a religion or its tradition. It is simply prioritising what is more important- human life.
