Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), a research organisation, on Friday demanded fireworks-free New Year's Eve celebrations, highlighting the severe impact of fireworks and sky lanterns on the environment, ecology and public health.
According to a CAPS study, the air pollution levels rose by approximately 36 percent in Dhaka, while noise pollution increased by 102 percent in the following hour after midnight on News Year’s Eve compared to the previous hour (11pm-12am on December 31, 2023).
The demand was placed at a press conference arranged at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
“Firecrackers and sky lanterns have terrible impacts on the environment, ecology, biodiversity, and public health. One and only solution to it is to stop using such firecrackers,” said CAPS Chairman Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder.
He said CAPS has been monitoring air and sound pollution during New Year celebrations since 2017-2018.
Sharing the study findings, Dr Majumder said, on the last New Year’s Eve (2023-2024), sound levels rose to 85 dB between 11pm and 1am, compared to 60 dB on the previous night (December 30).
Similarly, air pollution saw a significant spike, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 241 on January 1, up from 205 on December 31, he said.
“We must balance the joy of New Year celebrations with the need to protect the environment,” he added.
The study recommended strict bans on the import, production, sale, and distribution of polluting fireworks and sky lanterns. It also emphasized the need for effective enforcement of the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules 2006 and other environmental laws, alongside protective measures for animals, birds, and wildlife during the celebrations.
Addressing the press conference, Waziha Zaman, a seventh-grade student at Kids Tutorial School, shared her personal experience, saying that all children don’t enjoy the sound of fireworks, rather many are scared of the loud sounds.
She said they want these issues like adverse impacts of fireworks, air pollution and sound pollution to be incorporated in the school textbooks.
Chairman of the Geography and Environment Department at Dhaka University (DU) Prof Dr M Shahidul Islam said that the fireworks cause devastating damages to public health and biodiversity.
“I have a rooftop garden. Last year, I had to guard my rooftop from 12am to 2am to protect the garden from sky lanterns,” he said.
DU Botany Professor Dr Mohammad Zashim Uddin said air pollution or dust-layer on plant leaves leads to damage to the ability of plants to produce food, while the excessive levels of sound and lights force pollinating insects to move elsewhere, he said.
“So, the fireworks ultimately disrupt the ecosystem by forcing insects to move elsewhere. The effects of a single firecracker are more significant than we can imagine,” said the botanist.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Rasheduzaman Majumdar stressed the need for strict enforcement of laws to curb public nuisance created by firecrackers. Despite the government banning fireworks during the New Year celebrations, police receive hundreds of complaints through 999 emergency services every year. But no one is punished, he said.
Wildlife researcher Ashikur Rahman Sami pointed out the negative impact of fireworks on wildlife. “Many birds are scared and fly away due to the noise of fireworks,” he said.