Fewer casualties, dry colours and poorer air quality mark Holi 2016

The festival of colours was celebrated with much fervour in Mumbai on Thursday. Compared to last year, there were fewer casualty cases reported in city civic hospitals. Traffic police held a special drive to keep an eye on drivers on roads that helped in controlling accidents during the festival. However, air pollution increased further due to the celebrations.

Traffic police held a special drive at several places in the city between 8 am and 4 pm on Thursday. They claimed that owing to the stringent two-day drive, the city did not witness any mishap on the day of Holi. Traffic police said the highest number of offenders was bikers found driving without helmets; 5,691 such cases were registered. This was followed by 1,143 cases of illegal parking and driving without license. A total of 474 cases of drunk driving were reported and 438 cases of triple-seat driving. Fifty six cases of rash driving were registered. More than 8,102 motorists were fined on Thursday for traffic offences like drunk driving, triple-seat driving and rash driving.

In Tunga village near Sakinaka, three people met with an accident after they were riding a bike in an inebriated state. While one died at the spot, the others are injured and have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Their bike was hit by a landcruiser. The driver of the car has been arrested.

Also, a 32-year-old man drowned in Vihar talao in Powai after he tried to swim in the tank in an inebriated state. The deceased was partying with his friends at the talao.

On the environmental side, while Mumbaikars opted to celebrate Holi with dry colours, thus helping preserve water, they failed to maintain air quality level which continued to remain “poor” due to the celebration, as per data accessed from SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research). In fact, it deteriorated drastically due to traditional Holi celebrations on Wednesday night. “Due to the bonfire that is lit during Holika Dahan and colours used during the celebration, the amount of suspected particulate matter in the air has increased. The air pollution has gone up since Wednesday evening due to the bonfire and increased further on Thursday afternoon due to colours,” said an official from SAFAR. During Thursday afternoon, the air quality index was measured at 270 µg/m3 which was just behind Delhi by 20 µg/m3 as per SAFAR data. Out of nine air quality measuring stations, Borivali recorded the highest amount of air pollution in particulate matter size 2.5 (PM 2.5), with 342 µg/m3 in air quality index. This falls under ‘very poor’ air quality index as per parameters of the World Health Organisation.

With Mumbaikars out in full force to celebrate Holi with their friends and relatives, there were a few cases where people were taken to civic hospitals after sustaining injuries or getting intoxicated after consuming “bhaang”. However, doctors said that in comparison to previous years, the number of such cases was fewer this Holi.

Out of eight patients admitted to Nair Hospital, seven were discharged while one was kept under observation after sustaining injury in a scuffle. Twenty patients were admitted to KEM Hospital and all of them were discharged. Patients mostly complained of sickness due to “Bhang”. Eleven people were admitted to Sion Hospital for various complaints; one of them is serious and has been admitted to the trauma ward. Sion Hospital Dean, Dr Suleman Merchant, said, “As compared to previous years, fewer number of cases were reported this year. All patients are fine and there is no serious problem reported.”

Local trains get strict vigilance Mumbai local trains have been safe until Holi evening but Railway Police Force (RPF) of both the Central and Western railway will be monitoring the situation over the long weekend as a precaution.

Western Railway’s senior divisional security commissioner Anand Vijay Jha said four teams of five people have been deployed until Monday as miscreants might still take to the local trains with balloons filled with water colour. “Since it is a long weekend we are going to stay vigilant and four of our teams will be travelling in civil clothes in difference sections from Churchgate to Dahanu. Sometimes an untoward incident might not happen on the day of Holi itself but on some other day when we do not expect it hence the extra vigilance,” he said.

Also, three assistant commissioners have been assigned round-the-clock duty and will be inspecting the stations on impromptu visits as well, said Mr Jha. On Central Railway (CR) the RPF has come together with the Government Railway Police and conducted heavy monitoring in areas where such incidents are known to occur.

Areas with settlements right next to the tracks are being specially monitored by the authorities.