Diwali Festival and Air Pollution

By: Madhunicka Mathanamohan

October 30, 2022

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3.7/5 - (3 votes)

Diwali is the most famous and favourite festival in India. It is the only festival where there is no sectarianism among the people. Since ancient times it was believed that the festival of Diwali banishes the darkness and brings light into their lives. Moreover, people start to celebrate Diwali from the beginning of the month itself.

Apart from all these celebrations and fun, there is a negative face to Diwali that most people are unaware of. The festival of Diwali and those who celebrate it all over the world contribute to massive air pollution. Especially during the Diwali festival season, air pollution increases to extremely high levels. That is one of the negative aspects of the Diwali festival. People around the world, who celebrate Diwali want to enjoy their festival holidays happily. However, they are unconcerned about how their actions affect the environment and humans.

How does the festival of Diwali contribute to air pollution? a frequently asked question by the people who celebrate Diwali. Many of them know the answer, but they don’t care about it. The main cause of air pollution during Diwali is the enormous use of firecrackers. People fire firecrackers to express their respect to heaven for the fulfillment of good health, wealth, knowledge, and peace. They believe that the sound of firecrackers is a sign of the happiness of people around the world, making the gods aware of their rich state. Apart from all these beliefs, people don’t bother about the consequences of their activities.

The firing of firecrackers during Diwali results in the emission of a massive amount of smoke into the environment, which makes the air very toxic and harmful to breathe. Especially in places like Delhi, within a single night, the whole area turns into a smog chamber. In Delhi, every year after Diwali, the next day, air pollution levels have reached dangerous levels.

Although the government has banned the use of firecrackers, they are still being fired during the Diwali festival. The release of gases like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide makes the air even worse than before. But now the problem is: how much air pollution does Diwali create in India? With the help of the last few years’ air pollution data, we can get an idea of how much Diwali creates a big transition in air pollution.

To find air pollution the Air Quality Index has been used by many countries all over the world. An AQI is a system for converting pollutant concentration values, which can occasionally be perplexing or difficult to grasp, into a single, understandable scale to indicate the health risk provided by ambient air pollution. Every year in Delhi, before and after Diwali, the AQI is calculated. In countries like Sri Lanka and India, a point scale called the 500-point scale is being used in calculating AQI.

In brief, a rating between 0 and 50 is considered good, and a rating between 301 and 500 is considered hazardous. When checking the year 2021, it was very clear that pollution levels increased the next day after Diwali. In 2021, the data of AQI before Diwali states, 20 October 2022-AQI 207, 21 October 2022-AQI 2017, 22 October 2022-AQI 219, 23 October 2022-AQI 220, and after Diwali states, 3 November 2021-AQI 314, 4 November 2021-AQI 430, 5 November 2021-AQI 655, 5 November 2021-AQI 999. This data indicates the transition of air pollution from the day before Diwali to the day after Diwali.

Finding the Particulate Matter (PM) level also helps to calculate the amount of air pollution in a particular area. This method is used to find whether air is mixed with some tiny particles, which can easily enter the bloodstream and enter our organs, causing many health issues. At Diwali in 2021, the US embassy published the PM2.5 data taken in Delhi. According to the data, compared to the days before Diwali, PM2.5 levels increased by over 100%. All of these AQI and PM2.5 data show that air pollution during Diwali is increasing year after year.

All this pollution ends up in dangerous health hazards. For example, heart diseases, cough, eye irritation, headache, lung problems, etc. From children to the elderly, all are suffering a lot from the increase in air pollution. The government has taken many actions to reduce air pollution during the Diwali season. But most of the public does not support the government. We can’t stop everything at a time. But we can reduce the pollution caused by the use of firecrackers.

For a day of happiness, we are ruining the smile of future generations with firecrackers. Nowadays, in India, even a newborn baby has a lung disease. If this continues, there will be no future for the next generation. As the general public, we have all the right to be happy. But we have the biggest responsibility to save the human race with our hands. On the whole, a pollution-free environment is a must for everyone, and we should make it possible.

By: Madhunicka Mathanamohan

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