Did you know that diyas lit on the moonless Diwali night signify the end of darkness of ignorance and beginning of light that enlightens all? This Diwali lets throw light on the hazards that boisterous Diwali celebrations pose to our environment.For most people lighting of firecrackers is the highlight of Diwali. Brighter the sparkles, louder the noise, greater the thrill! In fact to many of us, these aesthetic forms of light seem appropriate and most essential when celebrating the 'Festival of Lights'. But little do people realise that the high level of noise generated by the crackers cause immense suffering not only to humans but also to birds and animals.
The hazards posed by excessive noise pollution are:- Hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleep disturbances.
- Sudden exposure to loud noise could cause temporary deafness or permanent relative deafness.
In our increasingly populated and polluted cities, the temporary joy of watching the firecrackers is soon replaced by high level of air pollution. The toxic substances used in firecrackers release toxic gases that are harmful for of all living beings. Harmful effects of chemicals used in firecrackers cause respiratory diseases,
affects nervous system, causes skin problems, vomiting and the dust & fumes can cause metal fume fever.
Sadly, few of us realise that firecrackers are mostly made by very young children. Since the substances being handled are extremely toxic many of these child labourers get sick and die in their early teenage years.
So, this time think twice before you burst fireworks….
Excessive consumerism
Shopping plays a major role in our Diwali celebrations - many people believe that it is a good time to buy. Often, people buy new items even when they don't need them. This significantly impacts our natural resources.
How does this increased consumption affect Nature?
We must realise that all items produced are made from natural resources. Be it plastic, metal, paper or cloth - all of these raw materials come directly from nature. Sources that are non-renewable such as fossil fuels and metal ores get depleted. Depletion of non-renewable natural resources is one of the most significant impacts of consumerism.
Another effect of consumerism is the creation of solid-waste, which is non-biodegradable. This has to be buried into holes dug up in the ground. These 'land fills' as they are called may exist for centuries without completely getting integrated into the soil. The plastic toys that you are throwing away today, may exist in a landfill several generations after yours!
Five Principles of Nature Conservation
1. Reduce : the amount of things we use
2. Reuse : the things we have in different forms until we have absolutely
no use for them
no use for them
3. Recycle : items that are no longer functional
4. Rethink: the choices we make when deciding to buy something
5. Refuse: things that we do not need at all
So this Diwali, follow above five principles before you buy/accept.
High energy consumption
The festival of lights adds to a considerably heavy load on electrical energy sources which are already overloaded. The use of electric lights to adorn homes, business establishments, monuments and roads requires a huge amount of electricity. The older tradition of burning oil lamps is a possible alternative to electric lights - even though it does use oil, the duration of the lamps is shorter.
Wish You Happy & Safe Diwali...
