Study on the Impact of Firecrackers on Atmospheric Pollutants during Diwali Festival in Tamil Nadu, India

¹ Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, India

^* Corresponding Author Email: shankariitm@gmail.com

Abstract

The current study focuses on the impact of firecrackers emission on particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and the noise was analyzed on pre, during, and post-Diwali 2022 period (5 days) in a residential area of Tamil Nadu state of India. The findings demonstrated that, for 24-hour mean values of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations over the study period were consistently higher than the NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standard) permitted limit. On the day of Diwali, the mean CO concentration reaches 2.5 mg/m³, exceeding the NAAQSrecommended allowable limit of 2 mg/m³. The CO₂ concentration during Diwali day is 1.8 times higher than the pre-Diwali day. In addition, the 24-hour mean concentration of TVOC during pre-Diwali, Diwali, and post-Diwali was found to be 915.21 µg/m³, 1513.52 µg/m³ and 1617.12 µg/m³ respectively which is quite higher than normal days. Furthermore, the average noise level in the study site during pre, during, and post-Diwali was found to be 57.71 dB (A), 75.5 dB (A), and 63.66 dB (A) respectively which were higher than the safer limit on the residential zone. As a result of the widespread usage of firecrackers during Diwali festivities, these pollutants are significantly increased, which may have a negative influence on the general public’s health.