Celebrate Deepavali by lighting diyas: AIISH Director

With Deepavali just a few days away, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, Director M Pushpavathi urged the people to shun crackers and celebrate the festival safely by lighting diyas.

Participating in the phone-in programme organised by Deccan Herald and Prajavani, here, on Sunday, she said bursting crackers will not only affect the environment but will also have serious effect on the health of the people, especially during the Covid time. “The festival must be celebrated by lighting oil lamps rather than bursting crackers. Air pollution will pose a threat to humans in the long run”, she said.

Pushpavathi said, the smoke from the crackers may pose threat to the Covid patients and also on those who have recovered. It may lead to several health issues in the long run. The Director welcomed the government’s decision of allowing the sale of only ‘green crackers’. “I thank Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on behalf of AIISH for his decision on cracker sale,” she said.

Assistant Professor of Audiology Dr K Sriraj said, there should be at least four metres of distance between the fireworks and the person lighting the cracker. As per the norms, fireworks must not produce sound more than 125 decibels but, most fireworks emit 140 decibels, which would affect the ears, he said.

High decibel crackers may damage sensitive parts of the ear, like ear drum, slender bones, and cells. They may also cause a permanent hearing loss, he said. Thus, it is best to stay away from crackers, he suggested.

The Director also warned against extensive honking by the riders. Majority of the vehicle users use horn unnecessarily. The Police must take measures to control unnecessary honking, he said.

Sriraj also urged the Police to take legal action against shrill horn and altered silencers, which produces harsh sound causing noise pollution.

Ear phones

Pushpavathi also suggested people not to use low quality ear phones as it may affect the ears. As sound exceeding 85 decibel leads to problem in ears, she suggested not to listen to music with above 60% volume level and suggested to use ear muffs or plugs.

Professor Dr Animesh Burman was present.