JOIN USThe Delhi government is mulling to regulate the supply of firecrackers in the city and tighten norms to control the increase in air-and-noise pollution after Diwali.
Since the plan is still at a nascent stage, it will be brought out before next year’s Diwali.
As a part of the plan, the Environment Department will tighten the norms of noise levels and composition of crackers, which will “automatically” affect the supply chain of crackers, in a bid to check pollution.
“Though we are focusing on awareness this time, which is essential, but strengthening of norms is crucial to see a visible impact in the pollution levels after Diwali. We need to curtail the supply chain if not completely choke it, and it will happen once we raise the norms,” said a senior official of the department.
Under the plan, the department is mulling to ban certain types of firecrackers which are “more polluting” than others.
“There are some crackers which are hurled in the air and they affect the entire neighbourhood upon bursting. We are also focusing on enforcement this Diwali by checking labeling on packages and collecting samples and cracking the whip on those violating the norms,” he said.
Similarly, in order to check noise pollution, the department is planning to bring down the noise level rules for cracker-bursting.
“The current noise level rules are liberal and we feel there is a scope of tightening up. There can’t be any impact in terms of controlling pollution with the present prescribed levels,” said a senior Environment official.
According to the present standards, the sound level should not exceed 125 decibels at four-metre distance from the point of bursting, whereas the ambient noise level prescribed for colonies during normal days is 45 decibels.
“If we compare it with the ambient noise level, the permitted standard during Diwali is too high. Though we can’t bring it to 45 decibels, but we are planning to cut it down to 70-80 decibels. This is doable for next Diwali,” he said.
The department will make a proposal and submit it to the central government who has the authority to make changes in the Environment Protection Act, he added.
“If this gets done at an all India level, there will be more impact as the manufacturers of these crackers are spread across the country, so there can be better enforcement,” the official said.
The department has currently deployed teams at various areas in the city who are checking for both air quality and noise rules of the crackers available in the market and taking action against suppliers who do not abide by the prescribed rules.
Meanwhile, state Environment Minister Imran Hussain has written a letter to all MLAs to spread awareness in their constituencies regarding the harmful effects of crackers on the environment and health under the government’s ‘Say No to Fire Crackers’ campaign.
He appealed to all the elected representatives to reach out to the people through mohalla sabhas and padyatras.