With Diwali right around the corner and the rising air pollution, many states have banned firecrackers and ordered only for the manufacture, sale and use of green firecrackers.

With this, people have been flocking to stores demanding for green crackers, driving up their demand.

But what are they and are they any different from the old, traditional crackers?

Green crackers

Green crackers, an idea by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, do not contain harmful chemicals. It means that less pollution emission resulting in reduced air pollution.

Simply put, green crackers or eco-friendly crackers are manufactured from alternative raw materials to leave a lesser impact on the environment and pose lesser health risks.

It has been explained that green crackers don’t contain aluminium, barium, potassium nitrate or carbon, making them eco-friendly.

According to P Ganeshan, president of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association, green crackers are 30 percent less polluting compared to ordinary ones. In a report in the Better India, he added that the chemical Barium Nitrate is responsible for heavy smoke and emissions and green crackers contain lesser or no barium at all.

Green crackers not only reduce air pollution; it has been reported that regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound, whereas green crackers have a sound level of 110-125 decibels.

However, for all their advantages, these eco-friendly firecrackers are more expensive than the regular ones.

What did the Supreme Court say?

On 28 October, while hearing an application on firecrackers, the Supreme Court had observed that it was not against any particular festival or community but it could not permit others to play with the citizen’s right to live in the guise of powers.

It said that there was no total ban on the use of firecrackers and had only banned those crackers consisting of Barium salts, chemical crackers, or found to be injurious to health. “Celebration cannot take place at the cost of the other’s health. It is made clear that there is no total ban on the use of firecrackers, only those firecrackers are banned (joined, chemical) which are found to be injurious to health and affect the health of the citizens particularly the senior citizens and the children,” a bench of Justices MR Shah and AS Bopanna was quoted as saying by news outlet ANI.

Where can you buy them?

One can buy green crackers at a government-registered shop. Apart from this, one can also buy green firecrackers online.

Where do states stand on them?

Assam

The eastern state of Assam has allowed people to burst green crackers only for two hours during Diwali from 8 pm to 10 pm and from 6 am to 8 am during Chhath puja.

Delhi

The Delhi government, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had banned the use of firecrackers on 15 September. The chief minister cited prioritising the health of people over the celebration and said the move was essential to save the lives of people.

Karnataka

On Saturday, the state allowed only the sale and bursting of green crackers. “Other than green crackers that have been permitted by the Supreme Court in its directions, no other crackers can be sold or burst,” an order signed by the Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar said.

As per the order, sellers who have taken necessary permits from concerned departments and authorities can only sell green crackers. Stalls selling green crackers can be opened only between 1 November to 10 November.

Punjab

Punjab has also ordered that only green crackers would be allowed during the upcoming festival season. In an order, the government said that only the green crackers (those crackers that do not use barium salts or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury arsenic, lead or strontium, chromate) would be allowed for sale and use in Punjab.

Haryana

The state government has imposed a total ban on the sale and use of firecrackers in 14 districts. However, it has allowed green crackers in cities and towns where the air quality is in the “moderate” category.

Rajasthan

On 30 September, the Rajasthan government issued an order banning the sale and use of crackers. However, it has now allowed the use and sale of green crackers in the state, except in areas that come under the National Capital Region (NCR).

Odisha

The state government has allowed the sale and use of green crackers which conform to the definition and formulation as proposed by the CSIR-NEERI.

The use of fireworks would only be allowed from 8 pm to 10 pm on Diwali day on 4 November.