Diwali – Sound of Warning

Bikas Bhagat

How many times have we have heard horror stories about house fires caused by practicing unsafe methods during Diwali celebrations? Some of these tragedies could have been avoided if people knew how to prevent disasters before they happen. Diwali - aesthetically meant burning beautiful earthen oil diyas which signified the end of darkness of ignorance and the beginning of the new light of dawn upon us. But, of late with increasing consumerism people have been resorting to many unfriendly means of celebrating this wonderful festival of lights. An endeavour has been made through this article to give you tips on how to have a safe Diwali and also enlighten you all towards the hazards that this boisterous celebration poses to our environment. Following are the tips for a safe and eco-friendly Diwali: 1. One should always buy crackers only from authorised manufacturers or dealers. 2. Look for an open space and ensure that crackers are burnt away from those who are sick or elderly. 3. Make sure you wear footwear when bursting crackers. 4. Always keep a first aid box and a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of emergencies. 5. Avoid keeping small children away from the cracker bursting area. 6. Never ignite fireworks like rockets if there is any overhead obstruction, especially if there are electrical wires above or if they face open windows or doors. 7. Watch out what you are wearing. Avoid wearing loose clothes, and be careful when sporting scarves and dupattas. 8. Don't burst crackers before or after the stipulated time mentioned by the local authorities. 9. Dispose used fireworks properly by either putting them in a bucket of water or sand. 10. Keep pets indoors during Diwali. Besides all these important points, the other thing that people don’t realize is that firecrackers used on Diwali are mostly made by very young children. Since the substances being handled are extremely toxic many of these child labourers get sick and die in their early teenage years. Talking of crackers, apart from air contamination, noise pollution is the biggest hazard that they pose on the environment. Even though, crackers that make a noise of more than 125 decibels at four metres distance from the point of bursting are banned by the law, people do not refrain from buying high decibel exploding crackers from the market. One must know that excessive and continuous sound and noise pollution can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleeping disturbances. And sudden exposure to loud noise could cause temporary deafness or permanent relative deafness. We should all pledge to have a safe and an eco-friendly Diwali as the aftereffects of the celebration have a very adverse effect on nature as well its inhabitants. It is hoped that this article will encourage you to celebrate a safe Diwali, where there will be an explosion of joy without crackers!