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The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea filed by sellers of ‘green firecrackers’ challenging the ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and bursting of all types of firecrackers in Delhi. Separately, the Supreme Court also declined an urgent hearing of a petition filed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari challenging the ban on firecrackers.
Emissions from firecrackers intensifies air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. Last year, bursting of firecrackers on Diwali day in violation of the ban in the national capital resulted in a steep spike in pollution levels.
Where are green firecrackers allowed in the NCR?
The manufacture, sale and bursting of green firecrackers is permitted in Haryana. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has banned the manufacture, sale and use of all firecrackers except ‘green’ ones. What is likely to be permitted in Noida this year is still unclear since orders are yet to be issued. Praveen Kumar, regional officer, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Noida, said that an order on the matter has not yet been issued by the State government. “Last year, green crackers were permitted,” he said.
In Delhi, all types of firecrackers including green ones are banned. At a press conference recently, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that he appeals to the Union Environment Minister to implement a ban on firecrackers in the NCR as well.
In December 2020, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had issued an order imposing a total ban on the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the National Capital Region (NCR) and all cities or towns in the country where the air quality falls in the ‘poor’ or worse categories. The order permitted the use of ‘green crackers’ in places where the air quality is ‘moderate’ or better and only for two hours.
What are green crackers and what is their impact on pollution?
Dipankar Saha, former head of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s air laboratory, said, “If meteorological conditions are not favourable, whatever you burst will have a big impact. The meteorology (around this time of the year) does not allow pollutants to disperse and dilute, it will accumulate in the atmosphere. Green crackers are mainly barium free and heavy metal free. But if you burn something, there will be emissions and it will have an impact on the environment.”
Saha added that measures that are adopted for Delhi need to be adopted for all of the NCR since the entire airshed is to be managed. “It’s a public health issue,” he said.
According to CSIR-NEERI, which developed formulations for ‘green’ crackers, green crackers are those that are made with a reduction in the size of the shell and with a reduction in the use of raw materials. Green crackers may also involve the use of dust suppressants to reduce emissions of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. Green crackers lead to a minimum particulate matter reduction of 30% compared to conventional ones, according to NEERI’s definition.
The Supreme Court had banned the use of barium salts in the manufacture of firecrackers. Barium compounds produce the green colour in firecrackers and can be hazardous to health with fumes likely to irritate the respiratory tract, according to the CPCB.
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