Diwali firecrackers push up AQI, posing health risk, says WHO panel member Dr Subhash Hira

The use of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations has long been a concern because of its heavy impact on air quality. Dr Subhash Hira, professor of global health at the University of Washington in the US and a member of WHO expert committees on pandemic preparedness in Geneva, said: "Every year, bursting firecrackers causes a spike in the AQI, pushing pollution to harmful levels. This can have a serious impact on health, especially for children, the elderly and those who have been affected by Covid-19 or other respiratory illnesses."

Firecrackers release large quantities of fine particles such as PM2.5 and PM10 into the atmosphere. These can linger in the air and cause dense pollution. Besides particles, harmful chemicals such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and heavy metals are also released, worsening the air further.

The suggestion is that local people and local governments work together to balance cultural traditions and public health, and promote safer and more sustainable ways of celebrating festivals such as Diwali.

First, people should be made aware of the health risks of firecrackers and other ways of celebrating Diwali should be promoted. Second, rules on the sale and use of firecrackers should be framed and strictly enforced, along with a ban on bursting them in densely populated areas. Third, celebrations free of noise and pollution should be promoted at the community level, so that the joy of the festival remains while the health risk is kept to a minimum.