CRACKERS ARE OF NO USE ... THEY ARE JUST ENVIRONMENT ABUSE

October 22, 2011

Crackers are a source of highly toxic chemical air pollutants. Besides air pollution there are other ethical reasons for not using crackers.

Thousands of children are employed in the manufacturing of crackers. This violates the rights of the children – they should be in school, not exposing themselves to severe health hazards while making crackers. Additionally, air pollution and smog is extremely common at night and on the morning after Deepavali, and may be harmful to inhale and creates difficulty for drivers through reduced visibility.

Deepavali is often treated by some as an opportunity to show off their status or purchasing power. This competitive approach encourages the use of ever larger and noisier fireworks.

  

Efforts to combat this menace include:

1. The Supreme Court of India, observing that the "right to peaceful sleep is a fundamental right of the citizens", has banned crackers between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am during the Dusshera and Diwali festival .

2 .The Central Pollution Control Board has banned fire-crackers with a decibel level of more than 125 at a distance of 4 meters from the bursting point.

Fire Crackers Affect our Health:

Sudden exposure to loud noise could cause temporary deafness or permanent relative deafness

Noise pollution may lead to:

·         Hearing loss

·         High blood pressure

·         Sleeping disturbances

Crackers that make a noise of more than 125 decibels upto a distance of 4 mtrs are banned by the law.

Harmful effects of chemicals used in crackers

Copper: Irritation of respiratory tract

Cadmium: Anaemia and damage to kidney

Lead: Affects the nervous system

Magnesium: Dust and fumes cause metal fume fever

Manganese: Emotional disturbances, spastic gait and paralysis

Sodium: React violently with moisture and can attack the skin

Zinc: Leads to vomiting

Nitrate: Could lead to mental impairment

Nitrite: Could lead to coma

In an effort to combat the high use of crackers, THE EARTH SAVIOURS FOUNDATION  organised an anti – crackers rally on the streets of Cannaught Place. This rally raised anti – cracker slogans and held aloft banners depicting the hazards of using fire crackers. The Legal Aid Society members were invited for this rally by this NGO's director Mr. Ravi Kalra. Mr. Sumit Sonkar and  Ms. Parineet Kaur have participated in the rally. 

This NGO used street play as a medium to spread awareness among general public about the disadvantages of using fire crackers and showed how young and innocent children have lost their limbs , burnt their faces and have been fatally wounded while playing with crackers . During the rally, some of the volunteers distributed the flyers and stickers, others held the posters, all regularly chanting “Say No to Firecrackers”. Eventually their  persistence bore fruit. People on the street started listening, understanding and responding to the pleas. 

Parineet Kaur