Supreme Court has allowed the use and sale of green crackers only.

Firecracker Ban on Diwali News: Delhi continues to suffer from polluted air as the air quality in the national capital is still in the 'severe' category. Just recently, the Supreme Court was hearing a matter related to the firecrackers. During the hearing, the top court reiterated its earlier decision on firecrackers. It stated that only green firecrackers would be used, not just in Delhi-NCR but across the country.

The Supreme Court was hearing an application seeking to direct Rajasthan to implement the court’s order banning the use of certain firecrackers in order to reduce air and noise pollution.

What did the Top Court say about firecrackers?

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court said that its previous order against the use of barium and banned chemicals in firecrackers was applicable across the country and not just the Delhi-NCR. 

It may be recalled the apex court, in 2018, had put a ban on the production and sale of all crackers except ‘green crackers’ and those crackers with reduced emissions. The court had also given a limited period of time for bursting crackers – between 8 pm and 10 pm on Diwali and between 11.55 pm and 12.30 am for festivals like New Year and Christmas.

In 2021, the Supreme Court had once again stated that there was no complete ban on the use of firecrackers, but on those with barium salts. It further noted that the directions were being blatantly violated and even warned the officials that they would be “held personally liable” for lapses.

What firecrackers are allowed?

Notably, the Supreme Court has allowed the use and sale of green crackers only. So, now the question is what are green crackers? 

Well, Green crackers are low-emission crackers that are free of harmful chemicals like sulphur nitrates, arsenic, magnesium, sodium, lead, and barium. Green crackers were developed and designed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in 2018. 

Reportedly, these crackers are manufactured with the help of alternative raw materials. Besides, green crackers are said to be non-polluting as they cause less pollution than those traditional crackers.

As per reports, Green crackers cause 30 percent less air pollution than those of traditional ones. Likewise, it has been reported that regular crackers emit over 160 decibels of sound, while green crackers have a sound level of 110-125 decibels.