Increase in firecracker injuries: The dark side of Diwali festival

Bengaluru: With three days left for the Diwali festival week to end, the number of people who have lost their eyesight and been injured due to firecrackers has crossed 67. Many people are suffering from permanent blindness due to firecrackers accident causing damage to eyes.

Around nine people were admitted to Minto Eye Hospital on a single day on Wednesday. With this, the number of people admitted to the hospital has increased to 27 in the last three to four days. So far 40 people have been admitted for eye treatment at Narayana Nethralaya. Also, the treatment is going on in various private eye hospitals in the city, and there are 100 cases of firecrackers.

Although the three-day festival ended on Wednesday, the last day was full of firecrackers. Also, fireworks are lit continuously as there are three more days left to spend the Diwali week. The number of cases is likely to increase. The number of people injured by firecrackers has already increased this time compared to last year. Last year fireworks were under control due to covid regulations.

Apart from those who burst the firecrackers, those who were watching the firecrackers bursting, the passengers who were travelling on the road also got eye injuries. Similarly, a 38-year-old woman named Jayasheel of Yeshwantpur was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning after a firecracker burst.

A person named Shivashetty from Bapujinagar suffered injuries to his eyes when a firecracker lit by someone else burst. Maybe he lost his sight. Chayank, a 10-year-old boy of Hosur Road, Sasikumar, 28, of Queen's Road, was injured and admitted in Unit 3. Sahana, a 16-year-old resident of Malleswaram, said all these cases were cases where someone else was injured while bursting firecrackers.

42-year-old Diwakar, who was injured from firecrackers, suffered a severe eye injury when an cracker exploded nearby. Akash, a 7-year-old resident of Kengeri, was seriously injured when a Laxmi bomb exploded, while 18-year-old Pawan Kumar of Yelahanka was hit by a cracker. 14-year-old Harsha, a resident of Gouribidanur, has been admitted with injuries from the atomic bomb blast.

Although only green firecrackers are allowed to be used, the number of injuries is high due to bursting of ordinary firecrackers, which are highly explosive. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had issued a circular that everyone should burst the firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm. Bursting of firecrackers is prohibited during the rest of the time. The circular had issued that action would be taken against those who burst or sell firecrackers during the prohibited period. Due to this, the number of injured is also increasing.

The Sankara Eye Hospital, Bengaluru, Consultant-Cornea, Ocular Surface and Refractive Surgery, Dr Pallavi Joshi said: 'We have witnessed 20 cases of fire cracker eye injuries in the last 4 days, of which 2 of them are grievous injuries-one is an 8-year-old child and other an adult of 24 years. Both the cases of serious injuries were caused by self-inflicting. The 8-year old child was unsupervised while lighting the cracker using matchstick. Primary surgery has been performed for both these cases, however they would require further surgeries to try to restore some functional vision'.

She added: 'Also, 9 of the 20 injured patients were bystanders. Last year we saw only around 8 cases of injuries, however in just 4 days we have already seen 20 cases which will likely to increase in the coming days'.