Not A Cracker Of A Curb

A ban on cracker sales in Delhi hasn’t worked miracles. However, it could be a step in the right direction.

- Anurit Kanti

ONE RAGING DEBATE DOMINATED social media and family gatherings this Diwali. The $64,000 question was whether to follow tradition and burst crackers or to take note of pollution hazards and abstain from bursting crackers. Delhi took the initiative, when the Supreme Court banned sale of crackers on 9 October — two weeks before Diwali — in the National Capital Region (NCR) hoping to see effects of its suspension in the light of the severe pollution and smog-like conditions prevalent in Delhi during this period. The results are somewhat encouraging. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in New Delhi this Diwali had improved compared to last year.

To get into the specifics, the air quality index (AQI) value on the day of Diwali, Thursday, 19 October was 319, putting it in “very poor” category, while the AQI last Diwali (30 October 2016) had touched “severe” levels after recording an index value of 431. As per the CPCB’s numbers, particulate matters — PM2.5 and PM10 — were the major contributors to “very poor” air quality on Thursday. Particulate matter consists of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The most health-damaging particles are those with a diameter of 10 microns or less, which can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs. The WHO says that chronic exposure to particles contributes to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as, of lung cancer.