Pollution fears dampen fireworks sale
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China Daily, February 7, 2014
Fireworks sales fell sharply in Beijing during Spring Festival, with more people shunning them because of air pollution concerns.
Residents in the capital bought 195,000 boxes of fireworks from Lunar New Year's Eve on Jan 30 to Feb 4, a decline of 38 percent from the same period last year, according to figures from the municipal public security bureau.
|
|
|
Fireworks sales fell sharply in Beijing during Spring Festival. [File photo] |
Fireworks were also set off for shorter periods during the holiday, the bureau said, adding there had been no reports of deaths or eye injuries.
Over the six days, 108 people were injured setting off fireworks in the city, a decline of 34.5 percent on last year, the bureau added.
Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated with fireworks to add to the festive atmosphere and to fend off evil spirits and bad luck.
However, before Spring Festival this year, government officials and environmentalists called on residents via social media to cut spending on fireworks and reduce their use, because of concerns about air pollution.
Zhao Huijin, 26, who lives in Chaoyang district, was among those who chose not to set off fireworks. She told China Daily on Thursday she thought that fewer people in her community set off fireworks during the holiday.
"This was because of increasing awareness about environmental protection. Everyone in the city has the responsibility to fight against sooty air," she said.
Li Shuang, 25, who lives in Haidian district, agreed with Zhao. He said he slept well on Lunar New Year's Eve, which had not been possible in recent years because of noise from fireworks.
"It was so noisy in the past that I had to wear earplugs, as many people set off fireworks in my community day and night," he said. "But this year there was not as much noise, and there were fewer firework sellers on the streets."
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)