64% people in Delhi-NCR say they won’t burst crackers this Diwali, finds survey

Survey by LocalCircles finds that most people in Delhi-NCR don’t support Arvind Kejriwal government's odd-even car rationing scheme.

Customers shop for firecrackers at a stall | Dhiraj Singh | Bloomberg Photo

New Delhi: This bit of news could bring some festive cheer to Delhiites who battle post-Diwali smog, year after year.

According to a survey, 64 per cent people in Delhi-NCR said they would not burst crackers this festive season.

But when it comes to taking measures to fight the winter pollution, Delhi-NCR residents are not as prepared as they should be. Also, many in Delhi-NCR, according to the survey, believe that stubble burning is the main cause of rising air pollution levels.

According to a survey by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, 69 per cent people in Delhi said they would not be bursting any crackers this Diwali, while 8 per cent said they would celebrate Diwali with green crackers. In Gurgaon, this number is much higher, with 71 per cent people saying they would avoid burning crackers.

50% Noida residents don’t have masks or air purifier

The survey, however, revealed that most people in Delhi-NCR seem to be reluctant in taking measures to combat air pollution.

In Ghaziabad, 66 per cent people surveyed said they don’t have a mask or an air purifier and are neither planning to get one. Similarly, 43 per cent people in Delhi and 50 per cent in Noida don’t have either a mask or an air purifier, the survey said.

In Faridabad, 42 per cent people were unsure about what they would do to combat air pollution.

Most residents against odd-even scheme

According to the survey, 42 per cent people in Delhi-NCR think that stubble burning is the main cause of rising air pollution between October and December.

Their perception, however, doesn’t match the scientific data. 

A recent report by the Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research agency, which falls under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said stubble burning accounted for less than 10 per cent of the PM 2.5 particles in Delhi’s air.

Most respondents of the survey do not support Arvind Kejriwal government’s odd-even scheme car rationing scheme, aimed at reducing air pollution. The AAP government has decided to implement the scheme from 4 November to 15 November.

Seventy-two per cent people surveyed in Delhi and a staggering 92 per cent in Noida didn’t approve of the scheme.