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Firecracker Frenzy: Deepavali Celebrations Spark Urgent Calls for Reform
24 Oct
Summary
- Advocate calls for NHRC intervention to address harms from firecracker bursting
- Post-Deepavali 2025, air pollution spikes with PM2.5 levels up to 700 µg/m³
- Illegal "carbide guns" cause injuries, transforming celebration into public-safety crisis
In the aftermath of Deepavali 2025, Mumbai-based advocate Hitendra Gandhi has called for urgent intervention from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to address the recurring harms caused by indiscriminate firecracker bursting during festivals, particularly Deepavali.
The appeal, submitted to the NHRC, draws on extensive data showing post-festival spikes in air pollution, with PM2.5 levels reaching up to 700 µg/m³, nearly 12 times the permissible limit. Cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru reported "very poor" to "severe" AQI levels within hours of Deepavali night, accompanied by surges in hospital admissions for respiratory ailments.
The representation also highlights the growing menace of illegal carbide-based firecrackers. In Bhopal, more than 60 people, mostly children, were hospitalized this Deepavali due to explosions caused by these "carbide guns," which are outside any certified manufacturing or safety standard. Bengaluru recorded over 75 firecracker-related injuries, overwhelming local burn units.
