印度高等法院暂时禁止在新德里放鞭炮

India’s High Court Temporarily Bans Firecrackers in New Delhi

The air in the Indian capital, New Delhi, is among the most polluted of any city in the world.

That is one reason India’s highest court has ordered a temporary ban on firecracker sales during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

The observance lasts five days. During this period, many Hindus light oil lamps in homes, windows and on housetops. Crowds gather to watch fireworks at night.

But the court order has angered many Indians as they prepare for Diwali, which starts October 19th. They say the order prevents them from taking part in a Hindu tradition: the lighting¹ of fireworks.

Critics have likened the court’s action to banning Christmas trees on Christmas Day.

Yet supporters of the firecracker ban say the health of New Delhi’s 18-million residents² is more important than traditions. They note that the city’s air can endanger human health at this time of the year because of slower winds and colder temperatures that trap more pollution.

When the Indian Supreme⁴ Court announced its decision on Monday, one of the judges said “let’s try at least one Diwali without firecrackers.”

The court banned fireworks last year, but only after the Diwali festival, when smog had already covered much of New Delhi. The ban was partly lifted last month. But it was put back in place after lawyers for three children asked the court to force the city to clean up its air.

Supporters of the ban hope the decision will keep air pollution from reaching the levels it did last year. In the days after the 2016 festival, air quality was almost 20 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization. Many people became sick. That led New Delhi officials to take emergency measures, including closing schools.

Recently, officials temporarily banned trucks from the city, limited the movement of other motor vehicles and suspended⁵ work at building projects.

Opponents⁶ of the ban ask why only firecrackers are being targeted. They say it is more important to deal with the causes of air pollution, including the large number of vehicles and the burning of waste in neighboring states. They say the explosion⁷ of firecrackers for a few hours will not affect the air pollution problem.

But environmental experts say the ban will help at a time when the air is already full of pollutants⁸. In 2015, researchers reported that the lungs of half of the children in New Delhi have been damaged because of poor air quality. Doctors blame the pollution for an increase in breathing disorders⁹ and heart attacks. They tell older adults to leave the city in winter.

Harsh¹⁰ Vardhan is India’s environment minister. He supports the ban. He has urged people to obey it, adding that the country should “give green Diwali and our environment a chance.”

But some members of his Hindu nationalist party BJP are angry about the court’s decision. One party official noted¹¹ that the ban affects only the sale of firecrackers and not their use. Tajinder Singh Bagga said he plans to give firecrackers to poor children in the city, as he does each year. He said when he announced on social media that he would do so, “many people sent the message we also want to distribute, because of this ban, because people were in anger.”

Chetan Bhagat is a well-known writer in India. He said on Twitter that officials should “Regulate¹². Don’t ban. Respect traditions.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

firecracker – n. a small paper tube containing an explosive¹³

festival – n. a celebration or observance

resident³ – n. someone living in a place for some length of time

smog – n. a fog made heavier by smoke and chemicals

green – adj. relating to or being part of an environmental movement

regulate – v. to bring order; to govern; to make rules

1 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

2 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

3 resident   

a.居住的，居留的；住校的，住院的

参考例句：

• I've been resident in this place for five years. 我已经在这个地方住了五年。
• They engaged a resident tutor. 他们聘用了一名住家的家庭教师。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 suspended   

a.被暂时搁置的

参考例句：

• A lamp was suspended from the ceiling. 一盏吊灯悬在天花板上。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area. 英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 opponents   

n.对手，敌手( opponent的名词复数 )；反对者

参考例句：

• Somehow he always manages to outwit his opponents. 他反正总能设法智胜对手。
• to use strong-arm tactics against your political opponents 用强制手段对付政敌

7 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

8 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 harsh   

adj.严厉（酷）的，刺耳的，刺目的，毛糙的

参考例句：

• The sunlight is very harsh.太阳光很刺眼。
• Although his words are harsh,there is positiveness in them.虽然他的话很苛刻，但有建设性。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 regulate   

vt.管理，控制，调节，调校，调整

参考例句：

• This system can regulate the temperature of the room.这种系统能调节室内温度。
• They regulate the flow of water by the sluice gate.他们用水闸门控制水的流量。

13 explosive   

adj.爆炸的，爆发的；极易引起争论的；n.炸药

参考例句：

• Where's the rest of the explosive?剩下的炸药在哪里？
• Gelignite is a high explosive.葛里炸药是一种烈性炸药。