Saying no to Chinese fircrackers does not help the cause of Indian manufacturers

Realization appears to have dawned that banning import and sale of Chinese firecrackers during Diwali has had little or no effect on domestically made crackers. This is mainly because of anti-cracker campaigns run by schools, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and others.
The ASSOCHAM had interacted with firecracker wholesalers, retailers, traders in 10 cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mumbai to understand the enthusiasm and demand for firecrackers together with impact of ban on Chinese crackers across India.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 28 October 2016.

The dismal outlook is not only on cheap Chinese firecrackers but multiple other factors like growing environmental awareness, rising cost of living, growing tendency amid people to save their hard-earned money rather than spoiling it on burning crackers, paucity of time, traffic congestion during festive period etcetera.
Agreed that banning Chinese firecrackers was a welcome move targeted at strengthening the domestic industry, but growing criticism of bursting firecrackers and the associated negative publicity together with rising air and noise pollution have resulted in the firecracker industry across India gong into the doldrums.
Hundreds of units in Sivakasi have closed down because of intense campaigns and growing sales of China-made crackers over the years. On a rough estimate, nearly 30,000 people have lost their livelihood. There are about 800 licensed firecracker making units in Sivakasi and this industry accounts for a market size of about 2,500 crore rupees. But, rise in cost of raw materials and, overall inflation have also discouraged people from buying firecrackers and this trend has been going on for past few years now.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata to bear the brunt of Diwali firecracker pollution

Residents of high-rise buildings in Kolkata are in fear of a very noisy Diwali. In areas around Dhakuria Lake people are worried. Ever since the Laxmi Puja immersions there has been relentless bursting of sound crackers.
Apparently, calls to local police station have fallen on deaf ears.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 October 2016.

Similar is the situation in Salt Lake, Tollygunge, and a section of Ballygunge, Behala, Santoshpur and Sarsuna. Activists claim that at least 14 police station areas in the south, southeast and added areas are the worst affected.
Reports from police headquarters at Lalbazar also accept that "more ground action" will be required to make this Diwali sound free because the markets are flooded with illegal firecrackers which are cheaper than the ones that emit lights.
Police have indicated that the market names might have changed, but not the products. A few examples are - the popular Kalipatkas have been renamed Chutphuts and double-sound Dodomas are now Navarangs. Generators being passed off as flowerpots (Tubris) burst like chocolate bombs instead of releasing a fountain of light.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Noise pollution leads to obesity – those living near airports or busy streets are affected

#obesity #health #noisepollution A research published in the British Medical Journal has concluded that those who live next to a busy road or under a flight path can increase the risk of becoming obese. This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 26 May 2015.
This usually happens because such people lose out on sleep due to noise pollution from traffic on busy roads or from aircraft flying overhead. This inadequate sleep makes people less willing to exercise and, therefore, more likely to become overweight or obese.

The study has revealed that for every five-decibel increase above the standard traffic noise level of 45dB, the average person sees an extra 0.2cm increase in their waist circumference.
Andrei Pyko is the lead author of the study at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet.
He has indicated that in view of increased urbanization, noise from traffic is a "common and increasing environmental exposure", followed by noise pollution of airports and railway stations. Such noises can lead to central obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The study covered more than 5000 men and women in Sweden and it was found that those who live in areas with lower noise levels were likely to have lived 10 years or more at the same address, have lower household income and report less sleep disturbance.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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