Mumbai: Firecracker sale down 20 per cent

As Mumbai grapples with persistently poor air quality the city faces an impending challenge as Diwali approaches A notable shift in consumer behaviour however has been seen with a 20 per cent decline in the sale of firecrackers compared to 2022 which highlights a growing awareness among the population regarding the adverse effects of crackers on air qualityHowever the reduction falls short of what is necessary to sustain the current Air Quality Index AQI and is expected to contribute to a further decline in air quality during the festival Despite the decrease in sales the absence of a significant trend toward ecofriendly or green crackers is not noticeable in firecracker retail outlets across Mumbai The introduction of such alternatives could mitigate pollutionWholesalers vendorsrsquo viewsHusain Khasdar a Masjid Bunderbased firecracker wholesaler said ldquoI have been selling firecrackers for the past 20 years This year there was a noticeable decline of 20 per cent in sales as of today November 7 A lot of stock is still unsold and is been kept in the godown Many people have taken environmental concerns seriously causing this declinerdquo Asked about green crackers he said ldquoNational Environmental Engineering Research Institute NEERI has come up with green crackers but they are hardly seen at wholesale stores let alone retail stores and hardly anyone even asks for themrdquoHusain Khasdar Masjid Bunderbased firecracker wholesalerSources from Essabhai Fireworks one of the biggest cracker vendors in Mumbai said ldquoWe buy crackers from manufacturers directly Whatever is produced by them is sold out According to what I see daily here at the store people very rarely ask for ecofriendly crackers but certainly the sale of firecrackers has dropped this year People usually wait in queue for over an hour just to buy crackers before Diwali but the number this year is quite low compared to last yearrdquo Ankit Gupta a Borivlibased firecracker seller said ldquoI have been selling crackers for the past eight years but sales are low this yearrdquo Asked about ecofriendly or green crackers he said ldquoCustomers do not ask about themrdquoCommon man speaksSaylee Hatim a Kandivli resident said ldquoAs I read about Delhirsquos massive pollution issue it is concerning to think that we may be in that same spot in a few years if we do not take proper measures No rule prohibits bursting crackers completely since every religious tradition and festival has its way of celebrating All we must do is be concerned enough to figure out at what point we should control itrdquoRitesh Khedekar another Kandivli local said that considering the effects of crackers on the environment he had decided not to burst them this year ldquoI know it is not going to make much of a difference but if everyone thinks the same way we can surely make a difference Crackers also cause noise pollution and adversely affect zones near hospitalsrdquoAditya Juhu resident right Dhruv Mestry Juhu residentShreyas Shinde a Borivli resident said ldquoThe main reason I donrsquot burst crackers is because of environmental as well as the safety hazards they pose Air pollution from fireworks can significantly worsen air quality affecting people with respiratory issues Additionally the loud noises can disturb animals children and those sensitive to loud sounds Many advocate celebrating Diwali in a more ecofriendly and safer way to protect the environment and the wellbeing of allrdquoSachin Dubey a Santacruz resident citing the same reasons said he would only light diyas during the festive season Aditya a Juhu resident said ldquoI am against bursting firecrackers as they scare stray animals and birds The noise caused by crackers can even lead to hearing damagerdquo Harshit Tiwari a Dombivli resident appealed to citizens not to burst crackers saying ldquoThis Diwali I wonrsquot be bursting crackers Pollution has reached such levels that recently the court had to pass an order banning the bursting of crackers any time other than between 7 pm and 10 pmrdquoDhruv Mestry another Juhu resident who will not burst crackers this Diwali said ldquoAir pollution is increasing and in such a situation I donrsquot find it feasible to burst crackersrdquo Aminur Sheikh said ldquoPeople donrsquot understand the consequences of bursting crackers It causes many health issues and boosts pollution levels Strays as well as pets are scared by their loud sounds Sometimes the crackers are faulty which can cause major injuries to the person bursting themrdquoActivistsrsquo opinionsClimate activists have highlighted the urgency for proactive measures to address the ongoing air quality issues ldquoCracker smoke makes the dust in the air toxic and lethal It adds chemicals to the dust and causes severe respiratory infectionsChildren and the elderly are most vulnerable In congested localities which are poorly ventilated smoke hovers through the day and people are forced to inhale the gaseous mixture Hence it is important that on Diwali days construction activities are banned to allow a reduction in the pollution load Also people need to stop using smokegenerating crackers and celebrate Diwali as a festival of lights Air pollution is a killer and itrsquos time people realised that and behaved accordinglyrdquo said Stalin Dayanand founder of Vanashakti Zidaan Castellino one of the youngest climate activists in India ambassador of the Green Schools campaign and Founder of the Green Nagar Project said ldquoPollution in Mumbai has gone from bad to worse Headaches are more common along with cough etc Crackers lsquocrackuprsquo the biodiversity of the city and are dangerous to peoplersquos health After Diwali one can visibly see many birds lying dead on the street People donrsquot seem to realise that jeopardising their health for the sake of bursting a few crackers is not worth it We canrsquot keep on cutting the branch we sit on by bursting more and more crackers every DiwalirdquoldquoWe should by all means be able to breathe and enjoy our city a pollutionfree one Irsquove recommended all societies in my area to make ecofriendly crackers a compulsion There should be at least 10 trees planted for one cracker to equate emissions with treesrdquo he added