Green crackers
Also called: Green firecrackers · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Green crackers are firecrackers made with special, less-polluting recipes approved by CSIR-NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur). They leave out barium, a toxic metal used in ordinary crackers. They also give off at least 30%, and up to 80%, less particulate matter: the tiny particles of dust and smoke that go deep into the lungs. They cut pollution but do not stop it. If people burst many more of them, the air can still get badly polluted.
Example
In Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court allowed only certified green crackers for Deepavali in 2025, with sales allowed only from 18 to 20 October. Even so, Delhi's air was very poor after the festival. Calm winds and temperature inversion (a warm layer of air that traps smoke close to the ground) kept the smoke near the ground.
Don't confuse with
- Conventional firecrackers: these may contain barium and have no emission limit. Green crackers must use a NEERI-approved recipe.
- Zero-emission crackers: no such cracker exists. "Green" means less smoke, not no smoke.