Bursting crackers not only has an adverse affect on the health of children and the elderly, but the non-stop noise and smoke pose a danger to urban wildlife too. To drive home the message of making Deepavali an eco-friendly festival, People for Animals (PfA) is organising an event to discuss the ill effects of smoke and noise pollution on urban wildlife in the city on November 4.
While people are becoming more aware about the discomfort crackers cause, not many are sensitive to the wildlife around them. By bursting a cracker near a tree one is likely to scare or injure squirrels, owls, other birds, monkeys, and other animals, said Tanaaz Kothawalla, PfA’s vounteer-coordinator and shelter maintenance in-charge.
Around Deepavali, the organisation sees an increase in cases of wildlife affected by the smoke and noise of the crackers. “These animals suffer from wide ranging problems such as shock, smoke inhalation, cracker-related injuries, and displacement. Some of the smaller animals and birds fall out of the trees on hearing a loud noise and are injured. The noise and smoke from the crackers have also been known to affect the circadian rhythms of bats and birds,” she said.
According to Karthik, veterinarian at PfA, many wild animals are forced to go into hiding or find new habitats, away from the noise. Those who have to burst fireworks this year should do it only in open spaces where there are no trees, Ms. Kothawalla said.
People can join PfA volunteers at the Madiwala lake on Sunday at 7 a.m. to learn more about the issue from experts. This will be followed by a bird walk around the lake.
Awareness campaign
B.CLIP Alumni Association, along with Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, will organise an awareness campaign called ‘Pattaki Bittaki’, appealing to people not to burst crackers this Deepavali. “We will be running the campaign from November 3 to 5 in 25 wards,” said Subbaiah T.S. of B.CLIP. It will be organised near temples, parks and at schools. “We will appeal to schools to make students take a pledge against bursting crackers. As part of the campaign, street plays will also be performed,” he said.
‘Will enforce SC verdict’
The police have said they will ensure implementation of the Supreme Court order on bursting crackers for Deepavali, which restricts it to a two-hour slot from 8 p.m. Awareness programmes will be conducted to ensure that all citizens abide by the order, Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said.
