Minister: Campaigns Planned to Curb Firework Usage on New Year's Eve

 Minister: Campaigns Planned to Curb Firework Usage on New Year's Eve

The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change will organize mobile court drives nationwide, including in Dhaka, to curb the use of fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns during New Year’s celebrations.The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has highlighted the dangers of fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns, citing their adverse effects on health, safety, and the environment. It warned that excessive noise pollution increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and mental stress, while sky lanterns pose fire hazards and threaten biodiversity.

Under the Noise Pollution (Control) Rules, 2006, these activities are punishable offenses. First-time violators face penalties of up to one month’s imprisonment, a fine of Tk 5,000, or both. Repeat offenders may face up to six months of imprisonment, a fine of Tk 10,000, or both.

The Ministry has sent letters to Dhaka clubs and relevant organizations, urging restraint in the use of fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns during New Year’s celebrations, emphasizing the need to avoid these harmful practices in the public interest.

In a public appeal on Friday, the Ministry called for collective action to refrain from using fireworks and firecrackers on New Year’s Eve, describing them as both harmful and unlawful. It referenced a tragic case where a child with heart disease died after being frightened by loud fireworks, underscoring the profound health risks associated with excessive noise. These include hearing and memory loss, sleep disturbances, anxiety, aggression, high blood pressure, tinnitus, dizziness, heart attacks, and strokes.

The Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), a research organization, also urged fireworks-free New Year’s celebrations, stressing their detrimental impact on public health, the environment, and ecology. A CAPS study revealed that on New Year’s Eve in Dhaka, air pollution levels increased by 36% and noise pollution by 102% in the hour following midnight compared to the preceding hour from 11 PM to midnight.