Diwali is known as the festival of lights. It is one of the most popular festivals of India. During this festival, we can see lightened diyas all around. This sight of thousands of lit diyas is literally breath-taking. Diwali is considered to be important as it marks the victory of the good over the evil.
According to Hindu mythology, Diwali marks the arrival of Lord Krishna from his 14 years of exile. It is celebrated by lightening diyas and lanterns, decorating houses, exchanging cards and flowers and by bursting fire crackers.
But, of late, people are using firecrackers indiscriminately. Bursting firecrackers cause a lot of pollution: especially air pollution. It also causes noise pollution. When unwanted substances contaminate the air, it has a harmful impact on both living and non-living things.
This is called air pollution. The substances which pollute the air are called air pollutants. Air pollution has dangerous effects on all living things. It harms the atmosphere in many ways. Its three main effects are greenhouse effect leading to global warming, thinning of the ozone layer and causing acid rain. Greenhouse effect: The greenhouse effect occurs when the atmosphere traps solar radiations due to the presence of high number of gases like carbon dioxide, methane, etc.
These gases are called greenhouse gases. When these gases increase in the air beyond their natural levels, this creates the greenhouse effect. The temperature of the earth rises beyond its normal range and in turn leads to a condition called global warming. Ozone layer Depletion: - Ozone is a gaseous molecule present in the form of a layer on the stratosphere, which itself is an atmospheric layer, stretching up to 30 miles above the earth. Ozon layers act like a protective shield, preventing much of the harmful UV radiations from reaching the earth.
It absorbs much of the harmful sun rays. The fact that the ozone layer is being depleted was first discovered in the mid 1980’s. A massive hole in the ozone layer was observed above Antarctica, because of which the ice caps are melting. This further results in the increase in sea level, threatening the lives of human beings. Acid Rain: Acid Rain is a kind of rain caused by certain pollutants in the air. It is caused by a chemical reaction when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the air. These substances can
rise very high into the atmosphere where they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form acids. These acids mix with water vapour and form clouds.
When these clouds burst, they fall as acid rain.Effects of Air pollution on health
? Exposure to UV radiations causes the following problems:a. Skin diseases such as cancerb. Suppression of the immune system which means you can get sick easily.
? Air pollutants if inhaled in any form by humans and animals, can cause several health problems.
? The air pollutants release while burning of fire crackers can cause lung diseases such as
asthma, bronchitis, cancer, chest pain, coughing and allergies.
Now all of you might have understood the bad effects of using firecrackers. So, let us minimize the use of firecrackers and enjoy Diwali in a healthy manner.
Wishing all the readers Happy Diwali!!