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Air Pollution

What are Green Crackers?

Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Why in the News?

The Supreme Court of India has temporarily permitted the sale and bursting of green crackers in the Delhi–NCR region from October 18 to 21 for Diwali celebrations.

Background and Judicial Origin:

  • Trigger: Severe air pollution episodes during Diwali (2016–2017) pushed Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) beyond 500, creating a public-health emergency.
  • Supreme Court Intervention (2018):
    • Affirmed that cultural freedom cannot override the Fundamental Right to Life (Article 21).
    • Banned conventional firecrackers containing heavy metals such as barium, lead, and mercury.
    • Directed CSIR to develop less-polluting alternatives, with PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation) tasked to test and certify them.
  • Outcome: Introduction of green crackers as a compromise solution balancing festive traditions with public-health protection.
  • Legal Oversight: The Supreme Court continues to monitor compliance, permitting use only within fixed time windows and under strict emission-control standards.

About Green Crackers:

  • Overview: Green crackers are eco-friendly fireworks developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) to curb air pollution during festive celebrations.
  • Chemical Composition: Manufactured using modified formulations that exclude barium nitrate and significantly reduce sulphur and aluminium content, thereby cutting toxic emissions.
  • Emission Reduction: These crackers emit about 30 % less particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) and 10 % less sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂) than conventional firecrackers.
  • Identification & Legality: Each authorised packet carries the Green Fireworks logo and a QR code verifiable through the CSIR-NEERI Green QR Code App; crackers without codes are illegal.
  • Purpose: Designed to retain the cultural and festive appeal of fireworks while mitigating health and environmental impacts in pollution-prone regions such as Delhi-NCR.

Types of Green Crackers:

  1. SWAS (Safe Water Releasable): Releases water vapour during combustion to reduce dust and temperature, lowering particulate emissions.
  2. STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker): Uses thermite-based reactions instead of conventional oxidisers, producing bright light and sound with reduced toxic output.
  3. SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium): Limits metallic fuel content, maintaining luminosity and sound intensity while reducing aluminium and sulphur emissions.

All three maintain sound levels around 100–120 dB, comparable to traditional fireworks but with a cleaner emission profile and shorter atmospheric residence time.

[UPSC 2024] What is the common characteristic of the chemical substances generally known as CL-20, HMX and LLM-105, which are sometimes talked about in media?

(a) These are alternatives to hydro- fluorocarbon refrigerants

(b) These are explosives in military weapons *

(c) These are high-energy fuels for cruise missiles

(d) These are propulsion fuels for rocket

 

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