Air pollution tends to worsen during festive seasons. This is mainly due to the extensive use of fireworks and firecrackers during these celebrations. Fireworks release various harmful pollutants into the air, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter.

These pollutants have adverse effects on both human health and the environment. To prevent air pollution from harming us during festivals like Diwali, several measures can be taken. Keep reading as we discuss preventive tips that can help keep you and your family safe from air pollution this festive season.

To prevent air pollution from harming us during festivals like Diwali, several measures can be taken:

1. Stay indoors

Try to limit your time outdoors, especially during peak pollution hours. Stay indoors as much as possible, especially if you have respiratory issues or are sensitive to pollution.

2. Keep doors and windows closed

Keep your doors and windows closed to prevent polluted air from entering your home. Use air purifiers if available.

3. Avoid exercise outdoors

Avoid jogging or exercising outside when air pollution levels are high. If you must exercise, do so indoors or in a well-ventilated area.

4. Use masks

Wear a high-quality mask whenever you need to go outside, especially during festivities when pollution levels tend to be high. N95 or N99 masks are effective in filtering out harmful pollutants.

5. Limit use of firecrackers

Firecrackers are a major contributor to air pollution during festivals. Minimise their use, or ideally avoid using them altogether to help reduce pollution levels.

6. Opt for eco-friendly alternatives

Choose eco-friendly or noiseless firecrackers if you do decide to celebrate with them. These options produce less smoke and noise, minimising the impact on air quality.

7. Use public transportation or carpool

Reduce vehicular pollution by using public transportation or carpooling with friends and family whenever possible. This can help decrease the number of vehicles on the road and, consequently, pollution levels.

8. Plant trees

Participate in tree planting initiatives or support organisations that focus on afforestation. Trees act as natural filters and can help in improving air quality.

9. Use air purifiers

Consider investing in air purifiers for your home. These devices can help remove pollutants from the air indoors and provide cleaner air for your family.

10. Spread awareness

Educate your friends, family, and community about the impacts of air pollution and how to prevent it. Raising awareness can lead to collective efforts to reduce pollution and its harmful effects.

11. Government initiatives

Governments can implement stricter air pollution regulations, enforce emission norms for vehicles, and promote the use of renewable energy sources to curb overall pollution levels during festive seasons.

12. Public awareness

Conducting awareness campaigns to educate people about the harmful effects of air pollution and encouraging them to opt for eco-friendly celebrations.

Following these prevention tips can help you stay healthy during the festive season by minimising your exposure to air pollution. It is important to prioritise your health and take necessary precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the judge presiding over his civil fraud trial in New York and told him ahead of testimony by his eldest son, Don Jr, to “leave my children alone.”

Don Jr, 45, and his younger brother, Eric Trump, 39, are expected to take the witness stand this week in the trial for financial fraud that threatens to deal a heavy blow to the former president’s business empire.

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, attacked Judge Arthur Engoron, who is hearing the case, in a series of scathing posts on his Truth Social platform, calling him a “political hack” who is “doing the dirty work for the Democrat Party.”

“Engoron is crazy, totally unhinged, and dangerous,” the 77-year-old former president said. “Leave my children alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession!”

If all goes according to the court schedule, Don Jr will testify on Wednesday followed on Thursday by Eric Trump.

Both are executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, a sprawling network of companies managing residential and office skyscrapers, luxury hotels and golf courses around the world.

New York state attorney general Letitia James accuses the brothers — and their father — of fraudulently inflating the value of the group’s assets by billions of dollars to obtain more favourable bank loans and insurance terms.

Trump himself may be questioned on Monday, a day shy of one year before the November 5, 2024 presidential election that he hopes will sweep him back into the White House.

The former president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, who left the Trump Organization in 2017 to join the White House as an advisor to her father, may follow two days later. She is not a defendant in the case but was previously involved in the family business.

‘There was no fraud’

Don Jr and Eric Trump took control of the Trump Organization when their father entered the White House and are unlikely to deviate from the line taken by the family’s defense attorneys since the trial began a month ago.

They assert that the subjective valuations of the group’s assets, such as Trump Tower and a building at 40 Wall Street, were sincere and banks did not lose any money lending to the Trump Organization.

“The Banks and Insurance Companies were paid in full, no defaults, they all made money, and there is no Victim (except me!)” Donald Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday. “My Financial Statements are GREAT! There was no fraud.”

Donald Trump also said he would appeal a partial gag order imposed by Engoron on October 3 that bars him from attacking court staff — though not the judge himself.

Engoron has fined the former president twice already — $5,000 and $10,000 — for violating the order by attacking his law clerk.

The former president does not risk going to jail in the fraud trial, but faces up to $250 million in penalties and potential removal along with his sons from management of the family real estate empire.

Trump is not required to attend the trial, but he has shown up sporadically, using his appearances to portray himself as the victim of a supposed Democratic plot to derail his White House campaign.

The civil fraud trial is one of several legal battles facing Trump as he seeks to recapture the presidency.

He is to go on trial in Washington in March for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and in Florida in May on charges of mishandling top secret government documents.

The twice-impeached former president also faces racketeering charges in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to upend the election results in the southern state after his 2020 defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.

An Ahmedabad-based businessman who embarked on a special unity tour in a cherished UK-made vintage car to mark 76 years of India’s independence back in August has completed his mission to bring the 1950 MG YT back to its birthplace in England.

Daman Thakore, 50, accompanied by his 75-year-old father, 21-year-old daughter and a close-knit group of friends and family covered over 11,000 kilometres across 14 countries to drive up their car named “Lal Pari” to the MG factory in Abingdon, south-east England, on Tuesday.

The tour concluded on National Unity Day, celebrated in India on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, with Thakore handing over a replica of Gujarat’s Statue of Unity to a representative of King Charles III.

“Lal Pari embarked on this journey with the motive of spreading smiles and the message of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam – One World, One Family,” said Thakore.

“A replica of the Statue of Unity travelled with us as a hood ornament made in sterling silver with the Indian and British national flag, which was handed over to Deputy Lieutenant Felicity Dick – a representative of His Majesty the King in Oxfordhsire. The MG factory building there is defunct now but we wanted to make this symbolic stop on Rashtriya Ekta Divas,” he said.

The intrepid traveller said that it was the values of Sardar Patel of self-reliance and confidence that motivated “Team Lal Pari” to continue the extreme journey through the scorching heat of Dubai and Iran, the desert of Iran, a sandstorm and daunting mountainous terrain in Turkey, the canals in Venice, the Gotthard Pass in Switzerland and the serene, beautiful roads of France.

“Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of the most influential personalities in the history of free India and a symbol of unity who integrated more than 560 princely states into the Union of India within a remarkably short span of time, was one of the motivating factors for the remarkable journey in a 73-year-old classic car from India to London,” added Thakore.

The expedition was symbolically flagged off by Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the government of Maharashtra, on Independence Day in August in Mumbai.

Thakore, Managing Partner at Amin Equipment which specialises in large construction equipment, says the road trip is a heartfelt homage to his parents who nurtured his love for adventure through extensive car journeys during Diwali holidays.