Three toddlers aged between 3 to 14 months have approached the Supreme Court urging it to ban the sale of firecrackers on Dussehra and Diwali stressing that a pollution free environment was their right.
In a petition filed through their parents, the toddlers Arjun Goyal, Aarav Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin, all residents of Delhi, have asked the Supreme Court to take stern action and stop the sale of firecrackers on Dussehra, Diwali and other festivals so as to bring air and noise pollution down.
The petition notes despite the Supreme Court's instructions on the sale of loud firecrackers, concerned authorities have failed to take adequate measures.
The right to breathe clean air is essential for a conducive environment for growth and development," the petition states underlining the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment under Article 21 of Indian constitution.
Article 21 of the Constitution deals with prevention of encroachment upon personal liberty or deprivation of life of a person.
According to the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, air in Delhi is very toxic due to high concentration of Particulate Matter (PM), which is the sum of all the solid and liquid particles suspended in air. The matter has been recorded at 2.5. The high level of PM concentration can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure since it penetrates deeply into lungs.
It has also been reported that in another 10 years, Delhi might record world's largest premature deaths.
Some facts on air pollution:
Inhaling air pollution takes away at least 1-2 years of a human life.
It has effects as small as burning eyes to as large as death.
Pollutants that are released into the air are the most harmful than the pollutants released in water and land.
The air pollution in Beijing has brought a new disease called the Beijing cough.
Toxic air pollution poses a greater threat to children because of their smaller physical size and lung capacity.
Smog can affect dolphins and makes them suffer from black lung diseases.
Reports say that air pollution in India is estimated to cause 527,700 deaths, every year.
Recent reports on air pollution say that by 2050, 6 million people will die per year due to air pollution.
Indoor air pollution is 2-5 times worse than the air outdoors.
