Pollution-Free Diwali: All You Need To Know About Green Crackers & How It's Different From Traditional Ones?

During the festival of Diwali, the use of firecrackers has always been prominent. This year, states and union territories facing poor air quality status have banned the use of crackers with a penalty in case of violation of the order. However, some states are encouraging people to use green crackers instead of traditional ones.

In West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that only the production, sale, and usage of green crackers will be allowed at the festival. Similarly, the Punjab government has allowed bursting green crackers on October 24 for two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm. UTs like Delhi has banned the complete usage of any fireworks.

Know More About Green Crackers

Green crackers are termed as less pollutant when compared to traditional ones as it's low-emission crackers free of harmful chemicals such as arsenic, sulphur nitrates, sodium, barium, and lead.

The green crackers were designed and developed in 2018 by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), reported Firstpost.

In the retail market, all the green cracker comes with the mark of CSIR. It's said to be developed with alternative raw materials, which are less harmful to the environment. However, both green and traditional crackers cause pollution, and people should refrain from bursting both.

According to CSIR, green crackers cause 30 per cent less pollution than traditional ones, and toxic metals are replaced with less hazardous elements. Overall, only limited use of green crackers would effectively create a pollution-free environment.

Types Of Green Crackers

In India, there are three types of green crackers- SWAS, STAR, and SAFAL. All these are different from each other in terms of features and benefits. The firecrackers under SWAS (Safe Water Releaser) category release water vapour in the air, which helps suppress the dust released. It also doesn't contain hazardous elements like sulphur and potassium nitrate.

The firecrackers under STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker) category features reduced sound intensity. Whereas SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium) crackers are produced with the minimum usage of aluminium and are less noisy than traditional crackers.

Underlining the advantages of green crackers, the central and state governments are insisting the people to use green crackers instead of traditional ones.

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