Mumbai, October 10: It's that time of the year when lanterns will deck up houses and firecrackers will lit up the sky as people celebrate the festival of lights with much pomp and fervour after two years due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Meanwhile, ahead of the festival of Diwali, various states have been granting and approving the use of green crackers this year. Firecrackers are banned in Delhi, In the first week of October, Chandigarh administration allowed the sale and use of green firecrackers which are certified by CSIR-NEERI.

In an official notification, the Chandigarh administration said that the on the day of Diwali, the use of firecrackers would be allowed strictly from 8 pm to 10 pm. Besides Chandigarh, the Tamil Nadu government urged people to celebrate noiseless, smoke free, green and safe Diwali. So the question is what are green crackers? Dussehra 2022: Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Delhi Unit Asks AAP Govt To Lift Ban on Green Firecrackers for Dussehra Celebrations.

How Are Green Crackers Different From Traditional Crackers?

Over the last few years, 'Green crackers' have been the buzz around the festival of Diwali. In order to curb the rise in air pollution during the festival of Diwali, several states have allowed its citizens to use green crackers, however, it has been permitted for limited hours.

The concept of green crackers was introduced way back in 2018 by the CSIR-National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). As per the green crackers concept, only shops that have been registered with the government have been allowed to sell green crackers. In simple terms, green crackers are eco-friendly which are different and unique from the traditional crackers.

What Is Green Crackers? What Are They Made Of?

Green crackers are manufactured by using alternative raw materials which are meant to leave lesser impact on the environment and pose lesser health risks and threats to humans. Unlike traditional crackers, green crackers do not contain harmful chemicals such as aluminum, barium, potassium nitrate or carbon, thus leaving helping to leave a lesser impact on the environment.

Are Green Crackers Eco-Friendly and Less Polluting Than Traditional Crackers?

Use of green crackers leads to less pollution emission from the crackers thus resulting in reduced air pollution. Experts also said that green crackers are 30 percent less polluting than traditional crackers. When compared, green crackers have a sound level of 110-125 decibels which is way more less than that of traditional crackers which emit 160 decibels of sound.

How Do You Identify a Green Cracker?

It is very simple and easy to identify green crackers as they are different from the traditional ones. Unlike traditional crackers, green crackers or eco-friendly crackers can be identified using the CSIR NEERI Logo.

In order to celebrate a safe and environment-friendly Diwali, one can buy green crackers from government-registered shop. Besides, people can also buy green fire crackers online. However, it must be noted that green crackers are bit more expensive than the traditional ones. So this Diwali, are you switching to green crackers?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2022 05:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).