Diwali is one of the most popular festivals celebrated in India. Diwali was first celebrated to welcome the homecoming of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Laxmana after their victory over the mighty demon king Ravana and completion of 14 years in exile in the deep forest. This festival has since been a part of Hindu tradition reminding us all that eventually the good wins over evil.
Now the big question is – What’s AQI. AQI stands for Air Quality Index. According to the CPCB, an AQI of zero to 50 is good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and above 401 is severe.
Nowadays, Diwali is not just a festival of lights but also a festival of Sound and Air Pollution. Every year, Post-Diwali we experience high AQI levels, around 500 - 999. Even though the Government has tried its best to reduce the burning of crackers, the people still don’t listen. There are thousands of sellers still selling off their highly polluting crackers. Eco-friendly crackers are available, but people don’t buy them as they are expensive. Eco-friendly crackers produce 30% pollution, but what about the other 70% of pollutants. People blame the farmers for raising the pollution levels, it’s not the farmers who are to blame. People should stop buying crackers, the Government should issue a complete ban on crackers, whether eco–friendly or not.
In Delhi, the situation is worse. Many doctors state that due to air pollution the people of Delhi consume at least 100 cigarettes per day. The Delhi Government is keen to protect its citizens and recently announced that it would distribute five million anti-pollution masks. If successful Delhi will be the only city in the world to distribute masks at this scale.
Post – Diwali the AQI levels rise to 300 times more than what is recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization). Let’s make sure that Diwali is just a Festival of Lights and Flowers, and not Sound or Pollution. I request you all to take a pledge on not burning crackers.