Why in the News
Green crackers, the Supreme Court’s answer to Deepavali smog since 2018, promise cleaner fireworks but do little in practice to curb air and noise pollution. The Court’s latest order permits specified next generation joined green crackers and declines a total ban on fireworks, invoking public sentiment, as Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) head into another winter.
What are green crackers, and why did the Court turn to them?
- What it is: A green cracker is a firework with a modified chemical mix that releases less smoke and dust per cracker. Like a “lite” product, it means less harm per unit, not none.
- CSIR-NEERI: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) promoted green crackers. It says the newer generation cuts PM10, the coarser inhalable dust, by 45% to 60%.
- Arjun Gopal judgment (2018): In Arjun Gopal and Others vs Union of India, the Supreme Court stopped short of a ban. It allowed only reduced emission and green crackers.
- Laris and time window: The same judgment banned joined crackers (laris), strings that burst in a chain, and set a two hour window for bursting.
- The takeaway: Green crackers let the Court avoid a total ban and still promise cleaner air, so the whole policy rests on whether they really pollute less.
How has the Court’s stance on fireworks swung since 2016?
- Tighten and loosen cycle: The Court has alternately tightened and loosened its curbs on fireworks in the NCR, so the rules change from winter to winter.
- 2016 suspension: After Deepavali pushed fine particle pollution (PM2.5, particles small enough to reach deep into the lungs) to extreme levels, the Court suspended licences for selling fireworks in the NCR.
- 2017 relaxation and reversal: In September 2017 the Court relaxed the suspension, partly to protect existing licence holders and livelihoods. It restored the suspension for Deepavali that October.
How much do crackers add to Delhi’s winter pollution?
- Not the main source: Construction dust, vehicles, stubble burning and stagnant, cold air drive Delhi’s winter pollution, not crackers.
- Acute spikes: When those sources push the air towards “severe” levels, crackers add a sharp, short spike on top.
- Spike under green crackers: In 2025, the first Deepavali after the Court permitted limited green crackers, Delhi recorded its worst post Deepavali fine particle average since 2021.
Why do green crackers fall short?
- Lab claims versus real use: CSIR-NEERI’s promised cut in particulate emissions does not hold under real world conditions.
- More crackers, same smoke: When “cleaner” crackers are burst in greater numbers, the savings in particulate pollution disappear, so a lower emission per cracker yields no lower total.
- Noise left out: The claimed gains count only particulate matter and do not account for noise pollution at all.
- Sentiment versus health: By invoking public sentiment to refuse a total ban, the Court has set cultural demand against a health harm its own earlier orders acknowledged.
Challenges
- Counterfeit certification: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the NCR’s statutory air quality body, found registered makers selling green cracker QR codes to unregistered ones. Unauthorised crackers then passed as certified.
- No local testing: The explosives regulator, the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), had no testing facility in Delhi, so crackers sold there could not be checked.
- Police cannot tell: In 2018 and 2019 the police could not distinguish green crackers from conventional ones, so curbs could not be enforced on the street.
- Informal industry: Much fireworks manufacturing runs outside the formal sector, beyond licensing and inspection. Eg. Small units around Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
Way Forward
- Formal manufacturing: Bring fireworks units into the formal sector, with licensing and inspection, so regulations are followed in practice.
- Traceable QR codes: Certifying bodies should issue codes only against verified registrations and audit who sells them.
- Testing in the NCR: PESO should set up a testing facility in Delhi.
- Public health awareness: Spread awareness of the health toll among those who love crackers, so demand falls alongside supply.
Conclusion
Green crackers let the Court avoid choosing between festival sentiment and clean air, but they deliver neither a real pollution cut nor enforceable rules. Until manufacturing is formal and certification can be checked on the street, each new order will change which crackers are legal more than how much pollution they cause.
Key numbers
- PM2.5 behind the 2016 suspension: above 700 µg/m3 in the NCR after Deepavali (November 2016).
- Delhi post Deepavali PM2.5, 2025: 488 µg/m3 average; hourly peak of 675 µg/m3.
Matching Previous Year Question
“[2015, GS1, 12 marks] Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?”
