Green or No Crackers? List of States Practicing Caution Ahead of Festive Season With Covid Looming LargeThe rise of air pollution owing to the burning of crackers in the festive months spanning over October to December has been a cause of concern for all states across India. Last year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered a ban on the sale and use of crackers in the NCR region until November 30 while many states had prescribed the use of green crackers which was believed to emit pollutants at a 30% lesser rate than their conventional counterparts.
What are Green Crackers?
Green crackers are low-emission fireworks that were permitted by the Supreme Court to be used during festivals, relaxing the ‘complete ban’ on fireworks previously imposed in 2017. Their chemical formulation ensures reduced particle emission into the atmosphere by suppressing the dust produced. While regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound, green crackers’ emission rate is limited to 110-125 decibels. Manufacturers need to sign a deal with the CSIR in order to make fireworks using the green cracker formulation. There are three types of green crackers available in India namely the SWAS, STAR and SAFAL. Notably, Green crackers too use polluting chemicals like aluminium, barium, potassium nitrate and carbon, but the quantity is reduced which in turn lowers the emission by about 30 percent.
However, even though the introduction of green crackers ensures less polluted air we breathe in, many states this year are practicing extra caution in view of the impact it might have on one’s health with the Covid virus still looming large.
Rajasthan
The Rajasthan government on Friday reversed its earlier decision to ban the sale and use of crackers in the state, In a revised advisory it thus noted that “only” the green crackers would be allowed. The government also issued the restricted timing for the bursting of crackers during the festive season. According to the revised advisory, green crackers can be burst from 8pm to 10pm during festivals like Diwali and Guruparb, from 6am to 8am on Chhath puja, and from 11:55pm to 12:30am on Christmas and New Year. The use of crackers would continue to be banned, however, at places having air quality index in the “poor” zone or below. The advisory further informed that the crackers could be verified as “green” by scanning the QR code on the box issued by the CSIR-NEERI.
Delhi
The Arvind Kejriwal government has imposed a complete ban on the storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers till January 1, 2022. Kejriwal said the decision was taken after taking stock of the pollution levels in Delhi during the festival over the last three years. Several experts are of the opinion that largescale celebrations by the bursting of firecrackers may lead to agglomeration of people in violation of social distancing norms but also a high level of air pollution leading to serious health issues in Delhi.’ Meanwhile, the Delhi Police was reported to have initiated crackdowns on the distribution of illegal fireworks, the sale of which has increased as Diwali is just around the corner. According to the ANI news agency, the cops raided a godown in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar area this week seizing more than 470kg of illegal fireworks, arresting the owner of the property in the process.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, on the other hand, has spoken in favor of using firecrackers. In a letter to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Stalin had requested to lift the ban and allow the sale of firecrackers that fall within the norms set by the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal.
Uttar Pradesh
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, which had in 2020 banned the sale and use of firecrackers in 13 cities across the state, has made no such announcement for this year so far. The Delhi government had a few weeks ago urged its neighbouring states – Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to announce a complete ban on the sale and purchase of crackers, saying it leads to massive increase in the pollution levels in the capital. Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai had told ANI: “To curb vehicular pollution, we have requested Union Environment Minister to facilitate CNG-powered public transport in NCR. We’ve also demanded that firecrackers should be banned around Diwali in neighbouring states also”.
Haryana
Haryana government earlier this month imposed a complete ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in 14 districts. The Haryana State Pollution Board directed all 14 districts to impose a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers with immediate effect. The order comes after directives issued by the NGT and the Supreme Court on the restrictions on the use of crackers. The ban is in view of the deteriorating air quality that the region witnesses during this time of the year, which is compounded by the bursting of crackers and stubble burning in nearby districts, Times of India reported.
Odisha
Announcing its Covid-19 guidelines for October, the Odisha government had prohibited the use and sale of fireworks in the state during the month. It had also banned their sale and use during Diwali last year in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.” With a view to protecting the health of the general public and to curb the spread of infection, sale, and use of firecrackers shall remain prohibited during this festive month,” the government said in its guidelines, which will remain in force from October 1 to November 1.
Earlier the Supreme court had said that the top court is not averse to the celebration but not at the cost of the life of other citizens. The celebration does not mean the use of loud crackers, it can also be with “Fuljhaddi” and the like which are not noisy, it said. “Our earlier order must be complied with by every state. Despite the fact that there is a specific ban on joint crackers, if you go to any state or city or any celebration, joint crackers are openly available in the market.
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