New Delhi, November 6:  The capital city is struggling to breathe with the pollution levels going way above the limit. The festival of Diwali sees a lot of crackers bursting to mark the festivities which also sees a lot of pollution. To tackle the problem, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has come up with three less polluting firecrackers- SWAS, SAFAL and STAR. These are environment-friendly green firecrackers which also cost 15-20% less than the conventional ones. The names of these firecrackers denote safe water releaser (SWAS), safe minimal aluminium (SAFAL) and safe thermite cracker (STAR). These crackers have a unique property of releasing water vapour and /or air as a dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions along with a equally matching performance in sound with conventional crackers. Sale of Safe and Green Firecrackers Allowed, No Complete Ban Across India, Rules Supreme Court Ahead of Diwali 2018.

For the first time in India, an Emission testing Facility has been established at CSIR-NEERI and extensive testing is in progress for conventional and green crackers for monitoring the emissions and sound. This facility uses all sophisticated instruments for measurement and sampling when firecrackers are used.

According to a government press release, the Indian Fireworks industry is over 6000-crore worth of annual turnover and provides employment opportunities to over 5 lakh families directly or indirectly. This initiative by the CSIR aims to address the pollution concerns at the same time protecting the livelihoods of those involved in this trade. Firecrackers Rules For Diwali, Christmas And New Year: Burst Crackers For 2 Hours on Dipavali, 1 Hour on New Year, Says Supreme Court.

Take a look at the details of these green firecrackers:

  1. SWAS crackers eliminate usage of (KNO3) Potassium nitrate and Sulphur with a consequent reduction in particulate matter (30-35%) SO2 and NOx. It has matching sound intensity with commercial crackers in the range of 105-110 dBA.

  2. SWAS has been tested for shelf life up to 3 weeks with consistent performance.

  3. STAR eliminates usage of KNO3 and S with the consequent reduction in particulate matter (35-40%), SO2 and NOx. It has matching sound intensity with commercial crackers in the range of 105-110 dBA.

  4. SAFAL has minimal usage of aluminium (only in flash powder for initiation) with a consequent significant reduction in particulate matter (35-40 %) compared to commercial crackers. It has matching sound intensity with commercial crackers in the range of 110-115 dBA.

  5. PESO has been approached to analyse and test SWAS/STAR/SAFAL from point of view of safety, stability and other related issues.

  6. Also, functional prototypes of flower pots for substitution of BaNO3(Barium nitrate) by low-cost eco-friendly materials have been developed with a significant reduction in particulate matter (30-35%).

  7. These functional prototypes have been successfully demonstrated in Sivakasi to leading manufacturers.

Watch Video to Know More About These Green Firecrackers

During the launch of these green firecrackers, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan said a raw material characterization facility is also coming up as it has been found that many times the poor-quality raw materials used in firecrackers are the major sources of particulate matter pollution. CSIR would be detailing further strengthening by the installation of additional facilities for raw materials testing at Sivakasi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2018 10:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).