The sound and the fiery: on green crackers, pollution control
Delhi continues to struggle with severe winter air pollution, with firecrackers during Deepavali contributing to acute spikes in PM2.5 levels. Despite judicial efforts to mandate 'green' crackers, enforcement remains difficult and their actual environmental impact is debated.
Why it matters
The issue illustrates the conflict between cultural traditions, public health, and the limitations of regulatory enforcement in urban environmental management.
As Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) head into another winter, they must brace for the return of a foe kept on a leash that is alternately loosened or tightened. In November 2016, the Supreme Court of India suspended licences for the sale of fireworks in the NCR after Deepavali celebrations pushed PM2.5 levels above 700 g/m³. The Court relaxed the suspension in September 2017, partly to protect existing licence holders and livelihoods, but restored the suspension for Deepavali in October. In 2018, in its judgment in Arjun Gopal and Others vs Union of India and Others, the Court allowed only reduced-emission and “green” crackers, banned joined firecrackers or laris, and imposed a two-hour window. The latest order permits specified next-generation joined green crackers, while declining a total ban on fireworks, invoking public sentiment. Fire crackers are far from the smoking gun of Delhi’s air-quality crisis.
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