It will be a green Deepavali this time in Mangalore, say young activists

A band of young green activists are on the prowl in the city this Deepavali. They will neither burst crackers, nor light up their homes with energy-guzzling electric lamps, but will light earthen diyas and persuade others to follow suit.

Moreover, they help their mothers and grandmothers in preparing sweets at home instead of buying it from the markets.  These are bright youngsters from schools, colleges and young professionals from IT and service sector who have decided to have peaceful and non-polluting Deepavali 2013, and are waging the campaign on internet.

But away from the internet, in rural areas, school children are enthusiastically adopting the campaign on their own, thanks to their teachers educating them about the effect of firecrackers on the environment. The rising costs of firecrackers and the festival paraphernalia too have strengthened the environmental awareness.

“There is no need for each one of us to burst crackers and light up fireworks. If those who frown about such campaign read history, they will find that in the past, people used to gather in the centre of the towns and cities, where a public fireworks show would be arranged. In villages, only earthen diyas were lit, before loud, noisy and polluting firecrackers became the hallmark of Deepavali,” said Vikas Mohite, a techie from Mysore.

“I and few of my friends decided that we should educate at least our colleagues and neighbours and focused our campaign on two aspects - pollution and conspicuous consumption which worked out well. We have had response from over 150 families in Jayalakshmipuram, Saraswathipuram, Lakshmipuram and Kuvempunagar that they would not spend more than Rs 100 on fireworks, which is good for starters,” Vikas said.

“Less money spent on firecrackers means less pollution,” he said with satisfaction.

According to Karnataka State Pollution Control Board statistics, during the three days of Deepavali, pollution levels in five cities go up by 15-20% - Bangalore leading with 20%. The sound pollution levels go up exponentially due fireworks and crackers. No one knows how much the Deepavali fireworks add to global warming.

“Most of burn injuries are reported during the three Deepavali days. Eye injuries leading to loss of eyesight, third degree skin burns, shrapnel injuries and lung infection due to noxious gases happen due to spurious firecrackers and carelessness,” says Suguna Rao, a burns specialist.

The campaign launched by the schools and colleges throughout the state has attracted the attention of the trade organizations. An Assocham (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry) survey found that if the green campaign could educate people about the hazardous affects of firecrackers on health and environment, it would bring the sales of firecrackers in the state by 20-25%.

“Many schools across urban India have taken an oath from their students during the morning assembly prayers to discourage children from bursting crackers and enjoy a safe and an eco-friendly Deepavali thereby doing their bit to save the planet,” the survey conducted by The Assocham Social Development Foundation (ASDF) over past 25 days, said.

“Though there has been a general rise of 10-15 per cent in crackers’ prices, the decline in their demand is being majorly attributed to growing awareness amid children who have vowed to abide by their oaths to shun firecrackers,” said Assocham secretary general DS Rawat, releasing the survey.

Some families have halved their fireworks budget. Vaikunta Pai, a fireworks dealer in Udupi, said prices have doubled  from last year. A pack of 10 standard sparklers is up from Rs 30 to Rs 60. Some companies have brought down the number of sparklers in the boxes from 10 to 7 and were charging Rs 40 per pack. The cost of flower pots range from Rs 120 for a pack of 10 medium size pots, to Rs 195-210 depending on the company.  

The festival of lights, which used to provide the bread and butter to the Rs 1,500-crore fireworks industry, is no longer the same. Armugam Chettiar, a producer of fireworks in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, said the labour and raw materials costs have doubled, and so have the insurance costs for the industry.