Sputnik Explainer: Why Are Firecrackers Restricted or Banned During India's Festival Season?
© AP Photo / Rajesh Kumar Singh
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Amid the upcoming Hindu celebrations of Dussehra & Diwali, Indians are enthusiastic about buying firecrackers to enlighten their celebration. However, this year, crackers will be replaced with light and sound amid a ban imposed in Delhi due to the threat they pose to the city’s residents and property, as well as the pollution their burning creates.
Firecrackers are traditionally used in performing several chapters of Ramlila – the traditional folk drama telling about the life of the God Rama on the basis of Ramayana – one of the two major Indian epic poems.
On Dussehra, the effigies of Ravan – Rama’s antagonist – are stuffed with firecrackers and burnt.
The ritual is thought to be purifying for all devotees, but at the same time appears very dangerous for both people and property nearby.
A boy plays with fireworks during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Jammu, India Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020.
© AP Photo / Channi Anand
Deadly Incidents
In 2018, local residents gathered to celebrate Dussehra at Jaura Phatak in the Punjab city of Amritsar with the occasion traditionally terminating with the huge effigy of Ravan being set on fire. The site was located near a railway track, with the crowd standing less than 100 meters away from the 20-feet-tall Ravan effigy.
When crackers started bursting, people moved away from the huge statue in order not to be hurt by the falling parts and thus retreated towards the railway track. Tragically, they didn’t notice the closed level crossing or hear the warning siren.
As a result, a train crashed into the crowd, killing at least 60 people and injuring another 72.
Air Pollution
In a bid to save lives as well as control pollution created by burning firecrackers, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced the ban on the production, sale and storage of firecrackers until January 1.
The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute has revealed in its Air Quality Life Index report that India ranked as the second most polluted country in the world, with bad ecology shortening its residents’ lives almost by ten years.
However, the ban didn’t refer to the so-called green crackers that do not contain toxic chemicals and are not injurious to health.
7 September 2022, 13:12 GMT
In September this year, the Delhi government extended a complete ban on the production, sale, and use of fireworks in the Indian capital. According to the latest Air Quality Life Index report, air pollution in India’s capital Delhi shortens people’s lives by almost ten years.
Health Issues
After a firecracker explodes, tiny particles of chemical substances settle on the surrounding surfaces, including humans' skin and respiratory apparatus. Chemicals like copper, cadmium, lead, magnesium, sodium and others can cause a wide range of disorders from respiratory issues and vomiting to anemia and nervous system illnesses.
Air and noise pollution caused by firecrackers can affect people with heart and mental issues, as well as cause miscarriage among pregnant women.
In 2021, the Supreme Court of India ruled that a blanket ban on fireworks may not be introduced, but measures should be taken to prevent the use of toxic chemicals and only fireworks found to be injurious to health should be banned.
Illegal Business
Due to the popularity of crackers, there are plenty of illegal firecracker-producing plants in different parts of India. In February this year, seven people were killed and 12 others injured in an explosion at an illegal cracker factory in Una district in Himachal Pradesh.
However, legal firecracker businesses are also highly dangerous. Another incident took place in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu two years ago, killing seven and injuring three. The blast was so strong that it caused the entire building to collapse. According to police, this was a licensed unit and all the people present at the site were workers of the factory.
