However, in the zest to celebrate the festival, we tend to use enormous amounts of energy and fail to recognize our ways of celebration which can have negative impacts on the environment.[break]
Ghost energy
The colorful lights hanging from our houses are the trademark of Tihar. Lights are not just limited to residences or business houses, and even offices exhibit colorful displays of flashy lights all evening and through the night. The cost of the beauty these lights exhibit, however, does not come cheap for we are exploiting immense power to have them lit. And in a country like Nepal where the load shedding can reach up to 16 hours, saving up on electricity could assist to lifting the power crunch.
“The maximum amount of power consumption is on the day of Laxmi Puja,” Sher Singh Bhat, chief of the Load Dispatch Center of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) told The Week. Although NEA manages to balance the huge power demands, for most of the industries remain closed during the festival, our individual efforts to saving electricity could go a long way.
“If people consider using lesser electricity, it would definitely be beneficial for we could lessen the load shedding hours,” he said.
The total amount of electricity consumed during the festival is equal to the amount required for industries to run for the same number of days.
“We have to request to the public to save energy,” Bhat said, adding, “If people consume less electricity, there’s a possibility of reducing two hours of load shedding we currently face.”
Saving power does not necessarily mean refraining from dazzling our houses to welcome Goddess Laxmi. We can always do it the traditional way. Lighting oil-fed diyos not only look beautiful, they mange to light up the place without electricity consumption. Also, there is a variety of candles and lanterns available in the market which can equally light up our homes. And because these come in various interesting shapes and are available in multiple colors, we don’t have to compromise on the décor. What more, these days the market offers a variety of scented candles; these along with dazzle will add a sweet smell to your celebration.
Light-emitting-diode (LED) lamps could be considered as an option. These too come in multiple colors and also consume very little power and they are recyclable. Gary Gereffi and Marcy Lowe researchers for the “Greeneconomy” research at Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) at the Duke University Durham, state that not only do LED’s not contain Mercury, a toxic substance found in small amounts in fluorescent bulbs, they comprise of Aluminum the most cost effective material to recycle and which can be used over and over again without losing its quality.
Chilling decibel
Although the government has put a ban on the buying and selling of firecrackers, the explosions and the glittery fires seem far from being refrained. These are all the more dangerous as it is the kids who get involved in lighting them and are prone to severe accidents and burns.
On November 2, the Nagarik National Daily reported of Dhiraj Tirwa, a four-year-old from Dadeldhura, who hurt his eyes severely while paying with firecrackers at his home. Apart from the immediate risk of meeting with an accident, firecrackers also have an immense effect on the environment.
Bidya Banmali Pradhan, environmentalist at ICIMOD – the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development – said, “Since firecrackers are mostly made up of gunpowder, they definitely harm the environment.” According to her, the different kinds of gases coming from firecrackers result into carbon dioxide when released into the air, which can take a toll on our health and also pollute the air.
Pradhan sketches out other components which are equally harmful to us and nature. She informs that firecrackers contain Potassium Nitrate (NO2) and also carbon particles which are similar to the fumes let out by vehicles and can equally pollute the air.
Although firecrackers can be tempting, they are dangerous; they contribute to noise pollution and degrade the environment. We could definitely consider these facts before we light a cracker this season.
However, if you think firecrackers add up to your celebrations, choose the ones that are less risky and less polluting. Gamala and Jhirjhire could be your options. Do make sure, though, that your kids remain aloof from them.
Rashmi Pradhan, 30, mother of a three year old says “It does tend to get a bit noisy some times, but I don’t think it is a good idea to impose strict rules on children regarding these.” Pradhan’s daughter, Elvisha is allowed to play with jhirjhire and “other less dangerous crackers”.
Shop ethically
Festivals have always been occasions for people to buy new things. Right from electronic goods to jewelry and utensils, people shop in large quantities during festivals. The trend of excessive consumerism is on the rise, and our savings per capita in Nepal is at minus during festivals. Also, with social obligations attached to festivals, people don’t refrain from shopping, even with loans.
“It’s almost a compulsion for people to bring home expensive goods during festivals,” says economist Dr. Govinda Nepal.
He mentions the easy loans provided by financial institutions and blames the consumers for lacking “rational thinking.”
How can we play our part in reducing consumerism? It’s by being alert shoppers.
Little things we do can actually help bring major changes. For instance, we could refrain from buying large amounts of foreign and Indian sweets and instead stick to the required amounts of Nepali products. Also, while we shop for puja items, we could stick to local products. Scented incense, for instance, are available aplenty.
Also, the flower garlands have been replaced by artificial plastic ones. The natural ones are preferable as they are environmentally friendly unlike the non-biodegradable plastic ones. This way, we not only promote local economy and help our tradition to survive, we also lessen the global supply burden.
Buying what one requires cannot be considered bad, but the trend of filling up our houses with things we hardly make use of can definitely be prevented.
Tihar dos and don’ts
• Be careful with firecrackers.
• Choose an open place for lighting crackers and keep small children away from the fire area.
• Make sure there are no combustible and inflammatory objects around. If so, remove them before lighting crackers.
• If a cracker takes time to explode or does not ignite immediately, never indulge in trying to burst them. Rather, rush to a safe place immediately and throw some water to diffuse it.
• Don’t keep inflammable and explosive items in your pockets while igniting another.
• Make sure you have a First Aid kit and a bucketful of water handy.
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