Who gave the order banning firecrackers across India?
Shortly before Diwali, the Supreme Court (SC) said that its order prohibiting the use of barium and other pollution-creating chemicals in firecrackers applies to the entire country, not just the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). This means all barium and harmful chemicals containing firecrackers cannot be burned.
Are all firecrackers banned across India?
In 2018, the SC banned the sale and manufacture of all firecrackers that cause pollution. Only 'green crackers' and ones that don't cause much pollution can be burned. They also banned the online sale of firecrackers. They said that noise levels should be within limits.
In 2021, they reminded everyone of these rules. Even this time, they said that not all firecrackers are banned. Only those firecrackers that are harmful to health and the environment are not allowed.
Last month, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) banned the use and sale of all firecrackers, including green crackers, across the city till 1st January 2024.
What are green crackers?
Green crackers are firecrackers with smaller shells and have no ash or chemicals to reduce emissions. These crackers are less noisy than regular fireworks. They also have a green colour as they don’t have barium present in them.
When green crackers are burned, they produce water vapour. This lessens the amount of dust and smoke released. Green crackers were researched and developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI).
Green crackers can be identified by the CSIR-NEERI and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) logo, which is green in colour. It also has a QR code. If you want to learn more about green crackers and why some fireworks are bad, you can read this article here.
So are you going to make sure you only buy green crackers this Diwali? Tell us in the comments.
