Cutting down fireworks for cleaner air

Cutting down fireworks for cleaner air

Shilpi Gupta, Grade 9, Texmaco DPS International School (TDIS)

Bright and colorful fireworks attract many people. Many families,
as well as mine, enjoy the tradition of going to their favorite
fireworks display or holding their own fireworks show.

But the school took important measures to reduce the usage of
firecrackers, and an anti-firecracker campaign was launched.

The students of the Environment Club of our school were
divided into groups and sent to all the houses of the [Texmaco]
colony. We tried to create awareness among the people to reduce
or even stop the buying process of firecrackers.

As we all know charity begins at home, I initiated this
process by making a pledge not to set off firecrackers.

In India, firecrackers are used mainly on Diwali (a Hindu
festival) or New Year's Day. In Indonesia, firecrackers are most
commonly burned for Idul Fitri, New Year's Day and Chinese New
Year.

We went to every house and told everyone about the ill effects
of firecrackers. Every year we do the same thing, but mostly in
the months of October and November, because those are the main
months in which the Indian people set off fireworks. Every year,
there is a better response from the people, and even my family
has reduced buying firecrackers every year.

Although Indonesia has a lot of trees that clean the air still
there is a need to reduce the usage of fire crackers.

People are often attracted to the bright colors of fireworks
but some of them don't understand their dangers, which can lead
to tragic and painful consequences. I, too, am attracted to
firecrackers, but now I know how harmful they are to me as well
as others.

Although people enjoy them a lot, we still should keep in mind
the harmful effects it has on us. Some of them are asthma,
cancer, restrictive lung diseases and pneumoconiosis. It also
causes respiratory illnesses and heart diseases. Sulphur dioxide
and other nitrous oxides cause headaches, lung irritations and
other conditions.

Meanwhile, fireworks-related injuries usually involve the
hands/fingers, eyes or head and can sometimes result in
amputations, blinding or even death. Firecrackers not only affect
us, but also the environment.

Firecrackers cause air pollution, which especially affects
persons suffering from illnesses, the elderly, children and
pregnant women. Not only that, but once the air is polluted, it
takes several weeks to bring the air quality back to normal.

Firecrackers also pollute water bodies like rivers and lakes.
Moreover, living in a single community, many people may not like
the noise and smoke emitted by firecrackers.

Many social issues are also connected with the use of
firecrackers, for example, thousands of children are engaged in
the production of firecrackers for 12 to 16 hours a day for
meager wages. The corrosive gunpowder mixture with which they
work eats away at their tender skins first and their flesh later.
This means that for every firecracker that we buy, we are
encouraging those who employ children and are helping this
industry to flourish. In the process, we are also denying these
vulnerable children their basic right to read, write and play.

We can do a lot by ceasing to use firecrackers. Children must
stop using firecrackers and instead demand that their parents buy
toys, gifts, clothing and books instead.

Television and other media can also help by bringing awareness
to support preventing firecracker usage.