By sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: Notwithstanding, the Supreme Court of India passing an order in 2018 prohibiting the sale of barium-based crackers, and Odisha government passing an order in year 2021 banning barium nitrate made crackers and allowing sale and manufacture of green crackers in the State, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board air quality data on Diwali Day since 2018 shows how Bhubaneswar denizens have been giving a two hoots to the use of green crackers, and the authorities looking the other way. .
Moreover, the following recent crackers related accidents in the State did provide evidence that the implementation of the Odisha government order is confined to paper only.
- May 29, 2024: 15 died during the fireworks for Chandan Yatra in Puri.
- Oct 19, 2024: Four minor boys severely injured in Ganjam District, when they are allegedly preparing firecrackers inside a cowshed.
- In both cases, police investigation had found the crackers were not the green crackers, and were manufactured illegally.
- The above instances show despite ban on sale and manufacture of barium-made crackers, the supply is rampant.
DOES SC RULING, ODISHA GOVT ORDER RAISE ANY AWARENESS?
In order to find the best way to answer the poser, it is high time to analyse how much healthy has been the State’s air on Diwali day.
Sample the case of State Capital Bhubaneswar. A glance at the Diwali day pollution data with Odisha State Pollution Control Board for the last five years reveals the following.
- Year 2018, when Supreme Court ruled that green crackers can only be used in National Capital Territory Region, later extended to the whole of the country.
- OPSCB collected noise level and air quality data on pre-Diwali, Diwali day from a residential place, commercial, industrial and silent zones.
- In year 2018, in Nayapalli residential place, during the hours of 6pm-12am, the sound decibel recorded ranged between 71 dB to 81.9db
See the table below.
- In the Sahid Nagar commercial area, the sound level measured ranged from 67 to 79 db during the aforementioned hours. Details given below.
- Similarly, the tables for Rasulgarh (industrial zone) and Capital Hospital area (silent zone) given below.
- View the noise level and the air quality data of Bhubaneswar on Diwali Day in 2019.
Air Quality Table in 2019
- Now, take a sample check of noise and air quality data of the city’s air on Diwali day in year 2023.
Air quality table in 2023
- There has been no perceptible rise in noise level between 2018 and 2023 in the Capital City.
- However, the air quality stands deteriorated to big extent over the years.
- In 2018, the sulphur dioxide in air was 7.6 micro gram per m3, Nitrous Oxide at 44 micro gram per m3, PM10 at 172micro gram per m3, PM 2.5 at 102 micro gram per m3.
- In 2023, the sulphur dioxide measured in air stood at 13.6 micro gram per m3, Nitrous Oxide at 40.7microgram per m3, PM10 at 428 microgram per m3, PM 2.5 at 232 micro gram per m3.
- Air quality data shows SO2 nearly doubled in City’s air, PM10 up by nearly 4 times and PM 2.5 unearly doubled, only NO2 shows a marginal rise.
NO GREEN CRACKERS IN USE IN BHUBANESWAR
The above OPSCB pollutant data crunching shows Bhubaneswar denizens have not been using green crackers on Diwali Day, despite Odisha government order banning sale of non-green crackers and SC order.
BIG REASON: Green cracker completely bars Barium nitrate. They contain only 3% sulphur. They reduce PM 10 and PM 2.5 by 30%, as per the CSIR –NEERI, the makers of green crackers in India. The CSIR-NEERI has sold the green cracker tech to cracker manufacturing units to produce green crackers.
Given that, Bhubaneswar had seen a stupendous spurt in th ePM10, PM 2.5 and SO2, it can safely be concluded that green crackers were not in use in Diwalis since 2018.
