Curbs on firecrackers missing on Diwali night, residents face breathing problem

Pune: Diwali this year was not only noisier but also more polluted than last year in the city, according to the IITM air quality monitoring system.The peak pollution level in the city was recorded around 2am on Monday. Pune’s peak PM2.5 concentration touched around 1,000 µg/m³ this Diwali, compared with approximately 600 µg/m³ during the festival last year. It was much higher than Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 60 µg/m³ for PM2.5.Continuous bursts of firecrackers, a thick layer of smoke and complaints of difficulty in breathing marked Diwali night across several parts of the city. Residents questioned the effectiveness of restrictions imposed to curb air and noise pollution.Kedar Pandit from Sahakarnagar said, “The air pollution across Sahakarnagar, Aranyeshwar, Mitra Mandal, Sarasbaug Road, Laxmi Road and Tilak Road was unbearable. I took a quick ride through these areas on Laxmi pujan evening, and even on Monday. The situation appeared to be the same across central Pune. This issue needs to be addressed strictly across the country.”IITM’s Air Quality Early Warning and Decision Support System recorded Pune’s average AQI at 235 (poor) at 11.30am on Monday, while the reading at its Mhada Colony-Lohegaon monitoring station was higher at 302, in the very poor category. Air quality was poor to very poor in several locations, including Karaj, Wakad, Gavalinagar, SPPU and Thergaon.PM10 concentrations also touched 501.82 µg/m³ at 6am on Monday. It was substantially higher than CPCB’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 100 µg/m³ for PM10.Citizens said firecracker activities continued unabated in several neighbourhoods beyond the 10pm deadline for sound-emitting crackers despite police advisories, civic notices and a series of Bombay high court directions specifically calling for preventive action against violations. From Kalyaninagar and Vimannagar to MG Road, Range Hills and Pimpri Chinchwad, residents took to community groups to report incessant bursting of crackers, smoke accumulation and difficulty in getting authorities to intervene.Activists said the air quality situation was particularly bad in parts of Pimpri Chinchwad, which already grapples with higher pollution levels than several other parts of Maharashtra. They attributed the further deterioration to rampant firecrackers bursting during Diwali.Residents also reported mixed experiences while approaching the police helpline 112. While one resident said the helpline had helped after 10pm, another reported being told that it was “Laxmi pujan” so …Sarika Sengar, a fitness coach, said she had lodged a complaint on 112 and was awaiting action. “Police should be on patrolling duty on such occasions, and catch and punish errant citizens. Not wait for complaints to be logged,” she said.Residents raised questions about the gap between the restrictions announced ahead of Diwali and their implementation on the ground. The Bombay high court, in its Oct 15 order in a suo motu public interest litigation on noise and environment pollution, had prohibited bursting of firecrackers on roads across Maharashtra and in silence zones near hospitals, govt offices, courts and schools.Prashant Raul of Green Army said, “I checked the AQI on a private platform around 9.30pm on Sunday. It showed 681 at one location and 552 at another in Bhosari. Smog was clearly visible, severely reducing visibility,” he said.Vikas Shinde, an activist from Wakad, said the visibility in the locality had dropped significantly because of firecracker bursting. He alleged that people openly flouted the recent Bombay high court order regulating the use of firecrackers.“It was difficult even to breathe as the air quality had deteriorated considerably. The situation in Wakad was much better last year,” he said.