Visakhapatnam citizens urged to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali

Visakhapatnam District Collector V Vinay Chand urged citizens to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali amid the prevailing Covid-19 situation. Based on the recent order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Collector made a few suggestions as to how the district should celebrate this Diwali in an eco-friendly and safe manner. The Collector said that a rise in air pollution levels could pose a danger, given the pandemic situation. Citing caution from experts, Mr Chand said that the pollution caused due to firecrackers will be a risk to those who have recovered from the infection.

The Visakhapatnam District Collector, therefore, mentioned that only green crackers must be sold and used for this Diwali. The timings for bursting crackers on the day of Diwali too have been restricted to two hours, from 8 PM to 10 PM, he said. All shops selling crackers shall maintain a distance of 10 feet between each shop while those coming for purchasing the crackers shall maintain 6 feet physical distance in the queues, Mr Chand ordered. Stating that the purchasers must not use hand sanitizer, and instead, use normal soap while bursting crackers, he once again urged the citizens of Visakhapatnam to celebrate in an eco-friendly manner.

Earlier this week, the Andhra Pradesh state government said that only green crackers will be allowed to be sold and used this Diwali. The decision has been taken in wake of the recent order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which mentioned that the pollution caused due to crackers could aggravate risk to the lives and health of the vulnerable groups amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The NGT directed to impose a ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in areas where the air quality is poor, very poor, and severe. In cities and towns where air quality is moderate or below, only green crackers have been permitted to be sold. The timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to 2 hours, from 08 PM to 10.00 P.M on Diwali and Gurpurab, from 6 AM to 08 AM on Chatt, and 11:55 PM to 12:30 AM on Christmas and New Year eve.