INDIA. Mumbai: In response to deteriorating air quality, the Bombay High Court issued an order on Monday, limiting the use of fireworks to a three-hour window from 7 pm to 10 pm in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region during the upcoming Diwali festival.
While addressing a suo motu PIL based on news reports highlighting severe air pollution in and around Mumbai, a division bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice G S Kulkarni emphasized that citizens must make a choice between a pollution-free environment and the tradition of bursting firecrackers.
The bench also mandated that all vehicles transporting construction materials must be covered with tarpaulins until the next hearing of the petition on November 10. However, Maharashtra’s Advocate General Birendra Saraf and Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, representing BMC, expressed concerns that such restrictions could hinder public projects like the ongoing Coastal road construction and metro rail.
The court clarified that while fireworks are not being completely banned, steps must be taken to address the poor air quality. It also directed BMC to rigorously enforce the pollution mitigation plan announced in March this year.
On Monday, air quality in Mumbai deteriorated, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 193. Of the 23 monitoring stations, 12 reported AQI levels between 200 and 300.
Deonar recorded an AQI of 278, followed by Mulund at 273, and Chembur at 247, all in North East Mumbai. In Kandivali East (North Mumbai) and BKC (North West Mumbai), the AQI measured 238.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the current PM2 concentration in Mumbai is 4.3 times above the recommended limit provided by WHO air quality guidelines.
The real test will be on November 12, Sunday, the day of Laxmi Puja, as this is when the majority of firecrackers are traditionally burst, often late into the night.
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