The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that it has banned the display of fireworks during the remaining matches of the World Cup in Delhi and Mumbai due to worsening air quality in both the metropolitan cities. Delhi has only one match left to host between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on November 6 while two more league games are scheduled to be played in Mumbai on November 2 and November 7, and the semifinal on November 15.
In a statement on Wednesday, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said, "BCCI is sensitive to environmental concerns. I took up the matter formally with the ICC and there won’t be any fireworks display in Mumbai, which can add to the pollution level," reported PTI.
"The Board is committed to combating environmental issues and will always place the interest of our fans and stakeholders at the forefront. The BCCI acknowledges the urgent concern surrounding air quality in both Mumbai and New Delhi," Shah said.
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"While we strive to host the ICC World Cup in a manner befitting the celebration of cricket, we remain steadfast in our commitment to prioritising the health and safety of all our stakeholders," he added.
The air quality has been worsening in Delhi over past a few weeks. The overall air quality in the national capital on Wednesday was in "very poor" category with the Air Quality Index logged at 371 as shallow fog covered the city. Despite anti-pollution measures in the Winter plan announced by the Delhi government, the situation is yet to see an improvement. With peak winters yet to arrive in the city, citizens are once again bracing themselves to battle the pollution crisis
The situation in Mumbai has also not been good in terms of pollution. On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court expressed concern over over the "deteriorating" air quality index in Mumbai while taking suo motu cognisance of the issue.