The Karnataka-based Edward and Cynthia Institute of Public Health — a unit of CHD Group — has urged Karnataka government and High Court of Karnataka to ban firecrackers in the State across all festivals, occasions or celebrations as climate change as a threat multiplier is posing a grave threat to human life and planetary health.
In the paper “India must ban firecrackers in the year of the G-20 Presidency and build a landmark contribution to climate action and COP28” as part of the working paper series, authors Isha Agarwal and Dr. Edmond Fernandes suggested to the Karnataka government to take urgent action to ban fire crackers and cracker bombs and regulate timing with silent hours from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. for all 365 days. They also urged the government to raise a 300% increase in tax on firecrackers and to direct law enforcement agencies to strictly regulate timings.
Firecrackers pollute the environment with noise, particulate matter, and chemicals adding no real contribution to public health or public wealth. The detrimental impact of air pollution on human health is increasingly acknowledged, both in the short and long term, they said.
