Sound and fiery: Green crackers do little to curb air and noise pollution

Why in news?

Supreme Court’s latest order permitting next-generation green crackers in Delhi-NCR has revived debate over their effectiveness.

UPSC Relevance 

Prelims: Green crackers, CSIR-NEERI, chemicals in fireworks, noise standards. 

Mains: GS3 – Environmental pollution and degradation. 

What is a Green Cracker?

• Meaning: A firecracker with a changed chemical composition that produces less air and noise pollution than a conventional cracker.
• Key features:
  • At least 30% lower particulate matter (PM) emissions than conventional crackers; next-generation versions claim 45-60% cut in PM10.
  • Reduced or no use of harmful chemicals like barium nitrate, and lower sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.
  • Lower sound levels, roughly 110-125 decibels, compared with up to 160 decibels for some conventional crackers.
  • Some release water vapour or dust suppressants that help settle the dust produced.

• Identification: Carry a green logo and a QR code, which can be scanned to check whether the cracker is certified.
• Developer: CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nagpur, along with other CSIR laboratories. They were launched in 2019 after the Supreme Court’s 2018 order.
• Formulation and certification: NEERI develops the formulations and shares them with manufacturers through agreements; it also tests and certifies the products.
• Licensing: The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (DPIIT), licenses manufacturers under the Explosives Act, 1884.

Types of Green Crackers

• SWAS (Safe Water Releaser): Releases water vapour that suppresses dust. Does not use potassium nitrate and sulphur. Claims about 30% reduction in particulate matter.
• STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker): Does not use potassium nitrate and sulphur; produces less particulate matter and less sound.
• SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium): Uses very little aluminium and replaces it partly with magnesium. Lower particulate matter and sound.
• Next-generation crackers: Newer formulations, including specified joined crackers now allowed by the Court, claim a bigger cut in PM10.

Are Green Crackers Actually Green?

• Lab vs real world: NEERI’s figures come from controlled tests and may not hold in real outdoor conditions.
• Rebound effect: When ‘cleaner’ crackers are burst in larger numbers, the per-cracker savings get cancelled out.
• Data from Delhi: In 2025, the first Deepavali after green crackers were allowed, Delhi’s post-Deepavali PM2.5 average reached 488 µg/m³ (highest since 2021). The 24-hour national standard is only 60 µg/m³.
• Noise ignored: Green crackers reduce sound only slightly; noise pollution affects the elderly, infants, patients and animals.
• They are ‘less polluting’ crackers, not a solution. The editorial calls them a ‘pyrrhic green’.  (Pyrrhic- win that comes at such a catastrophic cost to the victor that it is practically a defeat)

Limitations of Green Crackers 

• Weak enforcement: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) found that QR codes were sold to unregistered makers, allowing fake crackers to pass as certified green crackers. The police could not tell green crackers apart from conventional ones.
• No testing facility: PESO, the explosives regulator, had no testing facility in Delhi.
• Informal industry: Much of the fireworks industry is small and informal, making quality control and compliance difficult.
• Higher cost: Green crackers cost more, so cheaper illegal crackers continue to be sold.
• Timing: Crackers are burst in winter, when cold, still air traps pollutants and adds to existing pollution from vehicles, construction dust and stubble burning.

Way Forward

• Formalise the fireworks industry with support for Sivakasi workers to shift to cleaner production.
• Independent testing labs in major cities and tamper-proof certification instead of easily copied QR codes.
• Promote community fireworks displays and laser or light shows in place of individual bursting.
• Public awareness on health effects, especially for children, the elderly and people with asthma.
• Tackle the bigger sources of winter pollution: vehicles, construction dust, stubble burning and industry.

Practice MCQ 

Q1. With reference to green crackers in India, consider the following statements:

1. They were developed by CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI).
2. They do not emit any particulate matter.
3. SWAS, STAR and SAFAL are varieties of green crackers.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one     (b) Only two     (c) All three     (d) None

Answer: (b)

Explanation: Statement 2 is incorrect. Green crackers reduce particulate emissions by about 30% or more, but do not eliminate them.

Mains Practice Question

Q. “Green crackers offer a technological fix to what is essentially a regulatory and behavioural problem.” Critically examine this statement in the context of air and noise pollution in Indian cities. (15 marks, 250 words)