Opinion Dear Editor, I Disagree: To rescue Delhi air, steer away from either-or solutions
Supporters of compromise approaches – allowing crackers for a few hours or using green varieties – often present these as balanced solutions. Unfortunately, they don’t work in practice.
If Diwali is about renewal and reflection, then perhaps it is time to reimagine it, not with noise and haze, but with light and clarity. Each year, as Diwali lights brighten homes across India, a darker haze settles over our cities. By morning, the air turns thick, eyes sting, and every breath feels heavy. The debate returns: Are firecrackers really to blame for Delhi’s toxic air, or just an easy target for larger policy failures? An editorial in this paper ‘Light, Not Heat’ (IE, October 22) argued that blaming a two-day festival is unfair and unscientific, urging a focus instead on the year-round problems. Surely, that view has merit, but it misses a crucial point. Restricting firecrackers isn’t a distraction. In my view, it’s an essential, evidence-based step to prevent harm.
It’s common knowledge that Delhi’s air is notoriously polluted throughout the year, and no one disputes that stubble burning, vehicular exhaust, and industrial emissions are significant contributors to this. However, data tell a different story about Diwali. Each year, the city’s pollution levels explode during the festival. This Diwali, PM2.5 levels crossed 1,700 micrograms per cubic metre in several areas — almost 100 times higher than what the WHO recommends. These are not minor fluctuations. They indicate a sharp, overnight deterioration. Hospitals reported spikes in emergency visits for asthma, breathlessness, and heart complications. The evidence is clear: Even short-term exposure to such extreme concentrations of particulate matter can trigger acute respiratory distress.
Some argue that the exposure lasts only a day or two. But they miss what science has already established. Short-duration, high-intensity pollution events have severe health effects, particularly in populations already exposed to poor air quality. In cities where the baseline pollution is already hazardous, a sudden surge acts like pouring acid into an open wound.
Supporters of compromise approaches — allowing crackers for a few hours or using green varieties — often present these as balanced solutions. Unfortunately, they don’t work in practice. The Supreme Court’s rulings on limiting firecracker use to “green” options and specific time slots have repeatedly been flouted. This year, as before, crackers were burst well into the night, with little enforcement on the ground.
Unfortunately, critics often frame the issue as an attack on Hindu religious practices. But this is a distortion. The SC has been categorical: No religion endorses pollution. Banning firecrackers is not an assault on faith, it’s an act of public protection. The goal is not to diminish Diwali’s joy, but to prevent it from becoming a public health disaster. The real spirit of Diwali — lighting lamps, sharing sweets, celebrating the victory of light over darkness — remains untouched. In fact, reclaiming these quieter, gentler customs might bring the festival closer to its original essence.
This isn’t an either-or situation. Addressing stubble burning, vehicle emissions, and industrial regulation is essential. So is preventing predictable, short-term pollution spikes that choke cities every Diwali.
Therefore, the call for strict, lasting curbs on firecrackers is based on common sense, not ideology. India’s air is already polluted enough. Festivals should lift our spirits, not shorten our lives. Diwali’s joy shouldn’t come at the cost of someone else’s breath.
Clean air is not a luxury; it is a basic human right and a collective responsibility. Protecting it should not be seen as an inconvenience, but as a moral imperative. If Diwali is about renewal and reflection, then perhaps it is time to reimagine it, not with noise and haze, but with light and clarity. After all, what better way to celebrate the festival of life than by ensuring the air we breathe sustains it?
The writer is former professor and dean, Christ University, Bengaluru
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