Green crackers are a technological palliative, not a solution. Discuss with reference to the sources of winter air pollution in north India.

Green crackers were developed by CSIR-NEERI and are claimed to emit about 30% less particulate matter than conventional fireworks [1]. But crackers only add a short festival spike on top of a winter smog baseline that other sources create. Making them cleaner treats a symptom, not the disease.

Sources of winter air pollution in north India

• Burning of fuels dominates: vehicles, industry and biomass burning make up roughly 85–94% of Delhi's winter PM2.5. Vehicles alone account for about a quarter [2].
• Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and western UP sends smoke into the NCR airshed every October–November [2].
• Dust from construction, demolition and roads adds to pollution all year [2].
• Weather: cold temperatures, weak winds and temperature inversion trap pollutants near the ground.

Why green crackers remain a palliative

• Lower emissions, not zero: they still release particulate matter and noise. Once bursting is made legal, people may burst more, which can cancel the gain from each cracker.
• Unproven benefit: in 2025 the Supreme Court allowed them only provisionally. It ordered CPCB to monitor air quality and CAQM to assess the results before any decision on future use [3].
• Weak enforcement: green crackers carry QR codes and makers must register with NEERI [1][3]. Even so, shops can sell conventional stock labelled as green.
• Worst timing: crackers are burst when still air is already holding the season's pollution. Even smaller emissions then push AQI towards 'severe'.

What they do achieve

• Balancing rights: in Arjun Gopal v. Union of India (2018), the Court placed the Article 21 right to health above trade interests. It still chose regulation over a blanket ban: only green crackers, a two-hour window and no joined crackers (laris) [4].
• Livelihoods: the new formulas need no change to manufacturing facilities. This gives the fireworks industry a low-cost way to switch [5].

From palliative to solution

• Year-round action across the whole NCR airshed under CAQM: crop-residue management, cleaner transport, dust control and GRAP [2].
• Sustained control of sources works: in 2025 Delhi recorded its lowest average PM2.5 on record, except for Covid-hit 2020 [6].
• CPCB should test crackers bought from shops, and a PM2.5 limit should be fixed in advance for any further relaxation.

Green crackers therefore reduce the festival spike but do not touch the winter baseline. Lasting gains will come from coordinated action by several states on stubble, vehicles and dust, with cracker rules made part of that plan. This approach respects both the Article 21 right to clean air and SDG 11.6 on urban air quality, while leaving room for cultural celebration.