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.