On the 21st of October 2021, the Clean Air Network, a part of the SwitchON Foundation wrote a letter addressed to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand requesting a blanket ban on firecrackers across the state. The need for a letter emerged out of the Network’s concern about the quality of air in the eastern states. The letter began by offering congratulatory greetings for Dussehra and for the success of the Jharkhand government in implementing a similar ban on crackers in the previous year.
The letter mentioned how air pollution that currently exists is already damaging to public health and Diwali celebrations with crackers each year only adds to the crisis by increase in pollutants numbers to alarming levels. Two major reasons were cited in the letter for concern this year. The first being Jharkhand celebrating both the festivals Diwali and Kali puja simultaneously during the month of November adding double burden in terms of the rise in the pollution level in the atmosphere. Second, studies confirm a strong correlation between the spread of COVID-19 and air pollution; stating that even a single-point increase in air pollution will lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases by between 6-7%. Thus, the above confirms an increase in the likelihood of infection spreading and higher mortality.
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