Green Diwali Happy Diwali

By in Pulmonology, Respiratory & Sleep Medicine

Oct 18, 2017

Diwali is the festival of lights that brings good luck, happiness and prosperity to all. The lighted diyas not only illuminate the environment but also has to shack the darkness of poverty and ignorance. But the important question is how far are we able to understand and appreciate the real fact that we are moving away from the real spirit of the fiesta of light? The festival steadily but definitely is becoming one of the major problem for the environment due to the carelessness of the people all around.

Crackers contain toxic compounds like Copper and Cadmium and due to change in the weather these particles / pollution mixes with fog and becomes smog causing asthma attacks, bronchitis, symptoms of allergic rhnitis including running nose and headaches. Smog worsens the situation by suspending the toxic particles in the air for longer time.

It’s high time that we people should recognize the problem and should build a roadway by which we can make a healthy and balanced environment.

This year, the diwali got some extra sweet with the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, an initiative to keep the city’s ever increasing pollution problem in control.

After successful initiatives such as water-free Holi and Eco-friendly Gansesh Chaturthi, majority is going for Green Diwali. This Green Diwali is way to celebrate the festival with minimum consequences to the environment. With the bursting of loud firecrackers, the pollution in the country rises to the dangerous level causing discomfort to the elderly people, children and pets. More number of asthma cases gets reported with this increase in the pollution.Let’s come together and a do a bit for the society on this diwali. It’s our basic and most important faithfulness to understand the importance and essence of the traditional diwali celebration.

Let’s take some steps ahead to make this diwali an eco-friendly one:

Use locally made, earthenware Diyas for decoration:

Eschew the cheap plastic lights for home decoration and go for the artisan handmade earthen ware and diyas for the decoration. This will not only help the environment but will also help the poor artisan families.

Shun burning the fire crackers:

We all get mesmerized and entertained by the lights of the crackers. But the sad fact is that we don’t pay any attention towards the bad effect of the loud noise and pollution on the environment. Due to bursting of crackers huge quantity of toxic gases release in the atmosphere, which is one of the major health concerns for everyone in the world. Birds and animals suffer the most due to the high level of noise generated.
Majority of teenage children are involved in the making of firecrackers. We roughly look over the fact that these young children are exposed to these toxic substances, which put their life and health in great danger.

Noise pollution due to the use of fire crackers should be avoided:

There is no logic in burning those firecrackers which produces more than 65 decibels of noise. Even the law has banned the burning of noisy crackers but it seems that many of us are not interested in following these rules and regulations. Various hazardous health problems are caused by the burning of noisy firecrackers.

Some of them are listed below:

• Problem in hearing ability
• High blood pressure
• High number of people getting heart attacks
• Sleeping disorders
• Provisional or even eternal deafness

Go for organic rangoli:

Circumvent the use of chemical based rangoli colors.  Make maximum use natural colors and dyes like rice flour, turmeric power, kumkum, lime, petal, coal and leaves