Total ban on fireworks a must, follow it up with a vigilant eye

Open House: What steps can be taken to check pollution levels during festive season?

Boards showing AQI across city needed

People must be made aware about the rules and regulations pertaining to air pollution and motivated to follow them. Traffic police should be stricter and ensure that every vehicle has a pollution certificate. The centres designated to issue these should hand over certificate only after proper verification with their tools. People must use BRTS whenever possible as it uses electrical buses which generate less pollution as compared to their counterparts. Only 'green firecrackers' should be allowed for sale during Diwali. Farmers must be incentivised to shun stubble burning and use other methods to manage crop residue. There should be boards across the city showing the current AQI so that people adhere to rules strictly.

Jatinderpal Singh

Book those violating the norms

Being an intangible or invisible problem, the concept of air pollution is still a quite new thing for the majority. Scores of people die every year due to poor air quality. Large-scale campaigns and programmes should be initiated to educate the people about air pollution and its consequent health hazards. Use of public transport and bicycles, car pooling by neighbours and colleagues, combining errands and reducing trips and walking for short distances can help curtail the pollution. Setting the heaps of garbage and trash on fire must be checked on. Use of CNG as fuel by buses and trucks must be mandatory. Use of fireworks in festivals and weddings and stubble burning should be banned. The government must form guidelines and bring people to book violating those norms. Public should also resort to clean environment practices. Air pollution is emerging as a massive challenge and taking serious measures is the need of the hour. Government must cut the Gordian knot as air pollution is not a miniscule hurdle.

Anil Sharma

Need to pave way for better tomorrow

Of late, government and people have got awakened to the perennial problem of environmental pollution - particularly air pollution has assumed alarming proportions and is threatening the very life, existence and safety of people in general. Paradoxically, it is we who need the healthy air most and are wantonly destroying its sanctity and purity. Toxic air makes all and sundry cough causing throat irritation and spreading viral infections. The condition becomes worse for those suffering from asthma and cardiovascular diseases. Festivals are celebrated with great pomp and show and all the while air pollution rises to dangerous levels as we brazenly add a lot of waste and leave no stone unturned to contribute immensely. That is why the WHO has categorised air pollution as the sixth biggest cause of deaths in India. So, to keep the pollution levels in check during the upcoming Diwali, wood or trash should not be burnt altogether. Stubble burning must be stopped. The Resident Welfare Associations can spearhead and decide a common place where its residents can assemble at a pre-decided time to enjoy the festivities instead of celebrating separately at their homes. National, state and local efforts to clean up sources of pollution should be supported wholeheartedly. The amount of waste generated during the festivals should be drastically cut down. 'Waste not, want not' is the maxim to live by. Also, plastic in any form must be avoided and recycling should be adopted. Earthen lamps should not be thrown away after one time use. Disposables should be given a go by. To beat the blues of polluted air, jaggery, fruits rich in vitamin C and herbal, ginger and tulsi tea should be consumed. Exercising near high traffic areas should be avoided. The concerted, strenuous and collective efforts of the general public may pave the way for better tomorrow. Though the government is quite serious in protecting the environment, it is people like us responsible for poisoning the biosphere. Unless we ourselves understand and take the mantle to protect the environment from pollution, no one can save us from its perilous consequences.

Tarsem S Bumrah

Refrain from stubble burning this year

The air quality index (AQI) of Punjab is in worst condition. The farmers need to understand this but they burn the stubble of harvested crop without any fear. When you go outside in the evening you can feel your eyes burning, you can’t breathe properly due to stubble burning. After a few days, it is Diwali and it's also quite obvious that people will burn firecrackers. Lot of celebrities urge the people on social media, radio and television not to and should go for green Diwali but people do not pay heed to this, they will do whatever as they please. And this causes a massive problem. In such a situation, we all need to be very cautious about the environment. We should do the right things to save it, otherwise our future generations will be in trouble.

Saahil Hans

Maintain distance from firecrackers

I would suggest people not to burst firecrackers this festive season as its smoke affects our respiratory system. We will all be more prone to catching the virus and it will affect strongly affect the breathing then. So, the best prevention is to distance from crackers. People should avoid smoking as well.

Amritjot Kaur

A vigilant eye needed to check pollution

I feel if we really want to curb air pollution, we must slap a stringent ban on the sale of firecrackers. This will be the first and most vital step to help ourselves. The concerned authorities should also set high penalties against anyone indulged in sale of firecrackers. There should be a sincere and rigorous check on all markets, including in the rural areas. For rural parts, awareness on pollution in reference to coronavirus should also be made among the villagers through village panchayats or even via Gurdwara loudspeakers. This will also discourage its buying. Let's not forget that besides air pollution, firecrackers will also cause huge noise pollution, which will be not only harmful for us but also for birds and animals.

Rameshinder Singh Sandhu

Impose strict ban on sale of firecrackers

Air pollution levels in the region have already crossed the danger mark due to increased number of stubble burning cases. Only in Punjab, from 21st September to 1st November this year, the state witnessed 33,165 cases -- this figure was 24,722 in 2018. Just imagine the increase in level of air pollution due to this. But there is major difference between air pollution caused by stubble burning and fireworks during the festival season. Farmers do burn paddy straw as they don't have financial resources to spend on bailing/stacking of paddy residue. On the other hand, the pollution caused by crackers is just for pleasure, which could be easily controlled. Central and state governments should take long term and short term measures to control it. Why don't political parties make it a part of their election manifesto as it hazardous to the public health? From manufacturing to trading of all sorts, fireworks should be permanently banned. But, as a short term solution the State should ban sale/purchase of such items during the ongoing festival season.

Harsh N Johar

QUESTION

The non-resumption of goods trains may cause power crisis in the state and problems for the industry. Do you think the situation is the outcome of dirty state vs

Centre politics?

Suggestions in not more than

200 words can be sent to amritsardesk@tribunemail.com by Thursday (November 12).