The holiday season, full of joy and family gatherings, is marred by the 37 cases of Valle del Cauca affected by gunpowder.
Why, despite so many calls and warnings, do we continue to face this problem? Time and again from these lines we have called for caution, other media and the authorities have also done so, but the message does not seem to penetrate.
The reports of 25 adults and 12 minors injured by pyrotechnic devices resonate in Cali, Tuluá, Buenaventura and Buga. The hands, particularly the fingers, bear the brunt of these injuries, leaving consequences that mark those who suffer them for life.
What does it take to internalize the danger inherent in handling gunpowder? The warnings continue: the call for parents to be attentive when handling these devices with their children, not to mix gunpowder with alcohol consumption and to look for less harmful alternatives such as colored gunpowder.
Please also protect the most vulnerable, those who can be severely affected by the noise of explosives.
But the problem is not limited to human injuries. It extends to much broader harm: harm to nature, wildlife and our pets.
Plants, animals and the environment in general suffer the consequences of these explosions.
Reflection is imperative: why does this dangerous practice persist? The answer lies in the urgent need to change our collective mindset.
The responsibility falls on each person, in the awareness that fun should not put personal integrity or that of the environment at risk.
It’s time to take these gunpowder warnings seriously.