CHENNAI: The festival of lights might turn out be a celebration of smoke and noise this year too, as the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), police and corporation are yet to come up with concrete plans to regulate use of firecrackers in the city.
As always, the board has made plans to launch a public awareness campaign for a 'green Diwali' by distributing pamphlets across the city. The state environment ministry held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the campaign. Fifteen vehicles will crisscross the city handing out the pamphlets.
Noise and air pollution caused by firecrackers can pose a serious health hazard. The noise can trigger annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, hearing loss and sleep disturbance. The chemicals and gases released when fireworks are set off include lead, barium and chromium, dioxins, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen and sulphur oxides, which are harmful to humans and animals.
In Mumbai, non-profit organisation Awaaz Foundation and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) tested firecrackers available in the market and found that most of them violated the Noise Guidelines, 2012, set by the Central Pollution Control Board and endorsed by the Union environment ministry . Many of these fireworks are sold across the country. Awaaz has demanded a ban on these crackers, and is developing a pollution-monitoring mobile application for residents to measure decibel levels in their neighbourhoods.
TNPCB seems to have no plans to check sales of fireworks that violate norms in the city, or nab violators who sell or use crackers that exceed the permissible pollution and noise limits. An official said MPCB would have carried out the tests but it was unlikely it would have the powers to ban the firecrackers . In Tamil Nadu too, the board cannot ban crackers. A senior pollution control board official said they used to send staff to manufacturing units in Virudhunagar to collect samples. "Since the Industrial Explosives Board is directed to take care of these inspections, we limit ourselves to monitoring of pollution levels," said an official.
The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, says that TNPCB should ensure that noise levels are within permissible limits in commercial and residential areas. The guidelines say the manufacture and sale of crackers causing a noise of more than 90 decibels (dB) at a distance of 5m from the spot it is lit at should be banned. But, TNPCB officials said they do not have the power to take action against violators . "Our powers are limited to pollution related to industries and commercial establishments ," an official said.
