Delhi orders ban on pollutive firecrackers ahead of Diwali to 'save lives'
Gulf Times
Authorities imposed a similar ban last year but many revellers still burst crackers.
Delhi authorities ordered a ban on the storage, use and sale of firecrackers in the Indian capital late on Wednesday ahead of the Diwali festival to curb air pollution levels which cause thousands of deaths each year.
India is among the most polluted countries in the world, and air quality in Delhi and neighbouring northern states normally begins to deteriorate at the end of September as farmers set off crop fires to prepare for a new sowing season.
Delhi recorded some of the worst pollution levels globally in its latest peak pollution period between October 2020 and January 2021.
"In view of the dangerous condition of Delhi's pollution during Diwali for the last 3 years, like last year, a complete ban is being imposed...so that people's lives can be saved," said the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Twitter.
