Firecrackers During Diwali: A Fiery Problem Every Year
Diwali fireworks triggered fire emergencies across Indian cities, with Mumbai recording 168 firecracker-linked calls among 333 incidents on November 9 and 10. The editorial highlights fatalities, injuries, pollution and weak enforcement of restrictions, urging the Supreme Court to ensure fireworks are limited to designated, officially supervised locations.
Firecracker displays during Diwali have raised recurring concerns over fires, injuries, fatalities and pollution across Indian cities | Representative Image
The festival of lights turned into a night of fires in many cities, as Diwali was celebrated with several hours of fireworks. The police looked the other way during the two-day celebrations as people fired long-range rockets that sometimes found their way into living rooms, onto inflammable roofs, and occasionally set off the entire evening’s expensive stash of pyrotechnics by accident.
Curbs on firecrackers are virtually unenforceable anywhere in the country, more so when restrictions get intertwined with politics. It was left to the Fire Service Departments in various cities to respond to the fallout.
In Mumbai, the personnel answered 333 fire calls on November 9 and 10, of which 168 were linked to fireworks; there was a surge in fires even after the government banned the firing of rockets.
The challenge was not confined to Mumbai. Delhi recorded 24 firecracker-linked fires out of a total of 214 emergency calls; in Gurugram, homes, scrap yards, and residential societies reported 42 fires, many reportedly lit by wayward rockets.
There are distressing reports of fatalities in some fires and scores of severe burns. Social media is encouraging enthusiasts to engage in ever-more-risky behaviour in order to record high-impact videos, such as releasing rockets while holding them close to the body.
Evidently, Diwali displays now pose an elevated annual risk to life and property that is aggravated by irresponsible political campaigns calling for muscular displays of religious identity, where firecrackers act as a proxy.
Restrictions And Political Resistance
A culture of accommodation apparently overrides scientific realities about harm from toxic smoke and fires, and the denial of fundamental rights.
The Supreme Court has recorded its sympathetic view towards pollution victims while harmonising the demand for curbs with the sentiments of those who insist on bursting firecrackers.
In effect, there are no restraints. Leading politicians have quickly seized on the festival to insist that limits are unnecessary, and the question of pollution is being raised by some as a cudgel against religious belief.
In a deadpan response to calls for restrictions, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asserted that even if pollution had gone up, it would eventually subside. Pollution has a long-tail effect on health, but fires have immediate consequences.
Insurance Risks And The Need For Regulation
The response of the insurance industry to the risk of fires bears watching. In recent times, there has been a discounting war that cut fire insurance premiums by 28% before reducing the benefit to 14%. Unfortunately, there are no disaggregated public data on claims paid out for firecracker-induced losses to vehicles, property, and goods.
Citizens can only look up to the Supreme Court to issue a mandamus that is enforceable, upholding the right to life and restricting fireworks displays to open, designated sites under official supervision, and that too within the ambient air quality norms. Ideally, a single, central display by one agency for the entire city, visible across vast distances, would eliminate fire and pollution hazards.
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