A students’ union has asked the state government to prohibit the sale and usage of firecrackers during Diwali in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, due to the city’s worsening air quality. “I am writing to your office to urge the imposition of a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in our district during the upcoming Diwali celebrations,” the KSU’s central executive body wrote in a letter to RM Kurbah, the district administrator for East Khasi Hills. The Khasi Students Union, however, reaffirmed its support for environmentally friendly substitutes including diyas, lights, and cultural events that preserve the festival’s spirit without endangering the environment.
The KSU environment committee claims that the excessive use of firecrackers during Diwali in past years has led to a considerable increase in air pollution, which has caused problems for locals, especially those who have respiratory conditions. “The condition of the air in our state worries us. We have nothing against people celebrating the event, but we want the state government to make sure that festivities are environmentally responsible while showing the highest care for our delicate ecosystem,” Lambokstar Marngar, president of KSU, told PTI. He continued by saying that the town with the worst air quality in the nation was Byrnihat in Meghalaya. With pollution levels beyond the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) limit, this interstate border city was named the most polluted in the nation last month.
