Source- The times of india!!

KANPUR: Diwali this year was indeed quieter and cleaner. Call it the financial constraints playing the

spoilsport or the expensive firecrackersor increasing awareness about environment, this year's Diwali witnessed lesser noise and air pollution in the city.

According to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials, less crackers were burnt this year in comparison to last year. The sound monitoring done in Shastri Nagar locality (residential zone) during the day of Diwali revealed that although the noise pollution level was found to be about 112 decibel (db) during the peak hours of cracker bursting, this was within the permissible limit. Notably, the permissible limit of the noise during the bursting of crackers is between 125-145 db.

Interestingly, the data for noise pollution in 2008 and 2009 show that the levels this year have actually gone down. While increase in the number of crackers burnt in 2008 were cited as the main reason for the high air and noise pollution levels, lower temperature and hardly any implementation of rules also added to the problem last year, said PCB officials.

"According to data provided by the UPPCB, noise levels during Diwali in 2009 were "generally lower" than during 2008 possibly because of ``bursting of lesser number of crackers," pointed out regional officer UPPCB, Radhey Shyam. However, the data was based on the monitoring of the noise pollution and that the levels of air pollution could be confirmed after getting the analysed data.

Besides, the crackers have also affected the pest population, with large number of insects, especially leafhoppers, dead due to increased air pollution.

"Although there is not much impact on the mosquitoes, the population of insects attracted by light gets reduced significantly. Generally, Diwali is always the time from when we see a downward trend in the population of insects as most of them die due to the pollution that day," pointed out Dr S V Singh, Prof and head, Entomology department, CSA University.

He explained that since the insects breathe through perforations on their body, they take in vast quantities of pollutants. "On a typical Diwali day, this normally proves fatal for them. Thus, the insects and pests, which can otherwise be harmful to the crop, die due to bursting of crackers," he concluded.

Sound Effect
Timings Max noise LEQ Min noise
(in decibels)
7.00 pm 87.8 83.7 83.1
8.00 pm 89.3 82 81.2
9.00 pm 103.9 98.4 97.5
10.00 pm 109. 199.6 99.1
11.00 pm 113.3 87.9 87
LEQ is energy mean of air and noise level over a specific time period