Biodiversity & Environment
SC Order on Crackers During Diwali
- 24 Oct 2018
- 3 min read
Supreme Court has refused to put a blanket ban on
Key points from SC Orders:
- Time limit on bursting crackers: On the day of Deepavali: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Christmas and New Years Eve from 11:55 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO) will review the composition of fireworks to test for the presence of banned chemicals like lithium, arsenic, lead, and mercury.
- PESO will also ensure that only those crackers whose decibel (sound) levels are within the limits are allowed in the market.
- Ban on use of barium salts in crackers, series crackers called laris.
- Use of Reduced Emission Firecrackers(Green Crackers): Use of low emission crackers with PM reduction by 30-35% and a significant reduction in NOx and SO2.
- The online sale of firecrackers through e-commerce sites has been banned.
Background
- On October 9, 2017, the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali in Delhi-NCR.
- The court had said that the limited ban on firecrackers during Diwali was an experiment to examine its effect on the pollution levels.
- The court had said that Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution applies to both segments of people (firecracker manufacturers and the general public) and it needs to maintain a balance while considering a countrywide ban on firecrackers. For this, the court also asked the central government to suggest ways through which pollution can be curbed and what will be the effect of firecrackers on the public at large.
Green Crackers
- “Green crackers” are so named because they do not contain harmful chemicals that would cause air pollution. Components in firecrackers are replaced with others that are “less dangerous” and “less harmful” to the atmosphere.
- Scientists at Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, National Botanical Research Institute and National Chemical Laboratory have developed few “Green Crackers” such as Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) and Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL).
- They have the unique property of releasing water vapor and/or air as the dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions and have matching performance in sound with conventional crackers.
