The Government has taken a decisive stand against a nationwide ban on firecrackers. This decision comes in the wake of pleas made to the Supreme Court for a blanket ban on all aspects connected to firecrackers, including their manufacture, licensing, sale, resale and distribution. These pleas were presented as part of an emergency approach to tackling pollution. However, the government has recommended alternate measures to curb pollution during Diwali, such as promoting green crackers, encouraging community cracker bursting, and limiting the production of series crackers or ‘laris’.
Background and Developments
The Supreme Court first made strides towards controlling the impact of firecrackers on air quality in July 2017. A ruling was made which prohibited the use of five chemicals — antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, and lead — in the creation of firecrackers, following them being labelled toxic by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Shortly afterwards, in October 2017, a temporary suspension on firecracker sales was implemented in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) until November 1, 2017. This action aimed to evaluate whether a firecracker-free Diwali could improve citizen health and mitigate declining air quality.
Government Proposals and Collaborations
The Union Ministry of Environment has provided the Supreme Court with a detailed affidavit outlining potential solutions and short-term measures to address pollution during Diwali. Key strategic partnerships include collaborations with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Environment Engineering Research Institute, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), and CPCB.
A noteworthy proposal includes involving PESO to ensure that only fireworks containing permitted chemicals and decibel levels are used. Additional suggestions include utilizing PESO to test for chemicals banned earlier such as lithium, arsenic, antimony, lead, and mercury. The measures also state that CPCB, along with the respective state pollution control boards, should conduct short-term monitoring in their cities for a period of 14 days.
Raw Material Characterisation Facilities
One of the suggested measures is the establishment of Raw Material Characterisation Facilities. These facilities would check for high contents of unburned material or partially combusted material, as well as poor quality raw material used in gunpowder in firecrackers.
Reduced Emission Firecrackers
The government’s proposals also advocate for the use of reduced emission firecrackers, also known as improved firecrackers. These firecrackers emit less sound and light, and decrease particulate matter (PM) exposure by 30-35%. They also significantly decrease nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide levels due to in-situ water generation acting as a dust suppressant. Furthermore, the usage of low-cost oxidants helps keep the cost of these firecrackers down. By adopting this array of measures, the government believes it can address the air pollution problem without imposing a complete ban on firecrackers.
