The great choke

THE Supreme Court’s guidelines on green firecrackers and a two-hour window (8-10 pm) for bursting them became a casualty this Diwali as around 100 cities reported poor air quality the day after the festival. These included Ambala, Amritsar and Delhi. The situation did not improve in Punjab and Haryana over the weekend, even as it worsened in the national capital. Vehicular pollution and stubble burning have aggravated the problem, making it tough for residents to breathe. It was just a week before Diwali that the apex court had reminded the Centre and the governments of Punjab and Haryana of the citizens’ right to live in a pollution-free environment. Clean air, however, remains conspicuous by its absence.

While the respective governments are to blame for letting things come to such a pass, the functioning of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has left a lot to be desired. Delhi continues to grapple with smog despite the CAQM’s remedial steps. In bypoll-bound Punjab, the authorities are reluctant to take action against farmers who are burning paddy stubble. The scheme for incentivising cultivators to opt for crop residue management has also come a-cropper.

Diwali presented an opportunity to the people to do their bit for the environment by reducing the use of fireworks or shunning them altogether. But that, unfortunately, did not happen. Ironically, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai thanked Delhiites for “largely refraining from bursting firecrackers”. He conveniently ignored the fact that the SC curbs on the use and sale of firecrackers were blatantly violated. An ostrich-like approach to a public health emergency is a recipe for disaster. Collective accountability is the key to averting the great choke.