Green Crackers
Context:
The Supreme Court has indicated it may revisit its order banning firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR.
It may permit the sale and use of certified "green firecrackers" on a trial basis for the upcoming Deepavali festival
What are Green Crackers?
Green crackers are environmentally-friendly fireworks developed to reduce air pollution.
They are designed to have a smaller shell size and are free from harmful chemicals like arsenic, mercury, lithium, and lead.
They are certified by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
When burst, they are known to cause 30-35% lower emissions of particulate matter (like PM2.5) compared to traditional crackers
Arjun Gopal v. Union of India (2018) Case
This is a landmark Supreme Court case concerning air pollution from firecrackers.
In its 2018 ruling, the court issued the following key directives:
It declined to impose a complete ban on the use of firecrackers
It permitted the manufacture and sale of only "green" variants that have reduced emissions and adhere to permissible noise levels
It completely banned the online sale of firecrackers through e-commerce platforms
It directed that firecrackers could only be sold through licensed traders.
Types of Green Crackers
SWAS (Safe Water Releaser)
STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker)
SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium)