Do you know that Green Crackers with 30% less emissions are now available in India to make your Diwali eco-friendly?
Yes, you have heard it right.
To resolve the ever-growing problem of air pollution during the Diwali period, the Indian government launched the concept of eco friendly crackers.
Now you can celebrate green Diwali with them without causing much harm to our environment.
In this discussion, you will get an idea about:-
- What are green crackers?
- What is their composition & benefits?
- How to order green crackers online?
Read ahead to know more.
What are Green Crackers?
Diwali is a festival of light and joy.
Crackers are synonymous with Diwali as they are the key element for celebration.
Traditional fireworks cause air and noise pollution affecting human health.
In 2018, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India had banned the usage of traditional fireworks, which resulted in the closure of the entire fireworks industry.
In order to reduce the number of job losses, the Indian government has come up with a noble idea of eco friendly crackers.
So what eco friendly crackers actually are?
| Green crackers are environment-friendly firecrackers that contain a lesser amount of harmful chemicals and cause less pollution. |
As the name suggests, they are less harmful as compared to conventional firecrackers.
In Green Crackers, commonly used polluting chemicals like aluminum, barium, potassium nitrate and carbon are removed or sharply reduced so that the emissions come down by 15 to 30%.
CSIR & NEERI jointly made these environment-friendly firecrackers and developed new formulations for reduced emission light and sound emitting crackers with a 30% reduction in particulate matter.
They successfully developed various eco-friendly fireworks such as sound-emitting crackers, flowerpots, pencils, chakkar, and sparklers to name a few.
Watch this video where Mr. Harsh Vardhan answers all queries related to Green Crackers (source: HT)
What is the Composition of Conventional Crackers?
Conventional firecrackers consist of six major components:
1. Fuel
The most common fuel for fireworks is charcoal or black powder.
2. Oxidizing Agents
In order to ignite a fire, three elements named heat, fuel, and oxygen (air) are required.
This is termed as a fire triangle.
The job of an oxidizing agent is to produce oxygen inside the firework to burn the mixture.
Some examples are nitrates, chlorates, or perchlorates.
3. Reducing Agents
Common reducing agents such as Sulphur or Charcoal react with the oxygen to form Sulphur dioxide and Carbon dioxide.
They came out in the form of hot gases after the crackers are burned.
4. Regulators
Regulators (such as metals) regulate the speed of reaction.
The rate of a reaction depends upon the surface area of the metal.
A larger surface area means a fast reaction.
5. Coloring Agents
Coloring agents are the various chemicals that impart different colors to the crackers
6. Binders
Binders hold the firework in the form of a paste-like mixture.
Dextrin, a type of binder made from starch holds this composition together.
What are the Types & Composition of Green Crackers?
Green crackers are not composed of any banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, lead, and barium nitrate which are the key ingredients of conventional firecrackers.
You can see the green crackers composition below:-
Why Traditional Firecrackers are Harmful?
Let us discuss the main reasons why conventional firecrackers are harmful:-
They Pollute the Environment Badly
During the Diwali festival, burning crackers can raise the level of hazardous gases, particulate matter, and various pollutants in the air leading to air pollution.
Noise pollution also intensifies during this period.
A study was done at five locations across Delhi between 2013 and 2016 during the Diwali period.
The report proved that air quality became worse after the Diwali festival due to fireworks.
This result implied that the Diwali festival leads to a small, but statistically significant increase in air pollution.
It is all about Delhi only, what if we take this data at the national level. Definitely, it will look scary.
The report states that the concentrations of PM2.5 have been increased by almost 40% by the second day of Diwali.
It then falls back to the existing levels soon after Diwali ends.
They Create a Health Hazard
During fireworks, levels of suspended particulate matter (SPM), CO, NOX, hydrocarbons, SO2, increase to an unprecedented level in the air.
Pregnant women, children and persons having chronic asthma are most susceptible to these exposures.
High particulates can cause throat, nose, and eye-related problems.
It will severely affect people with heart, respiratory, or nervous system disorders.
Unwanted noise is another harmful effect of firecrackers.
Do you know that fireworks can be loud enough and can exceed 140 decibels?
Noise above 85 decibels can damage our hearing ability.
The sound level increase can lead to restlessness, temporary or permanent hearing loss, high blood pressure, and sleep disturbance.
Crackers can also cause respiratory problems such as chronic or allergic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis, pneumonia, and laryngitis.
Why Green Crackers are Unique & Eco Friendly?
Green Crackers are unique because they:
- Pollute less as particulate matter reduced by 30-35%
- Release water vapor and /or air as a dust suppressant.
- Release diluent for gaseous emissions.
- At par with conventional crackers in terms of light and sound.
- Do not leave ash
How to Order Green Crackers Online (NCR Region)?
I hope, by now, you have understood the concept of eco friendly crackers and want to celebrate this Diwali in a green manner.
Green crackers are now available (although supply is low) to purchase in the NCR region, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan, but you can order them online in Delhi.
Just keep in mind that before buying the eco friendly crackers you need to check that the vendor must be an approved seller by the Central Government of India.
Just follow these steps to order green crackers online.
1. Go to this website which is an approved seller of Green crackers.
2. You must have a minimum cart value of Rs 3000 to order the green crackers online.
3. Select your favorite standard brand and type of Green crackers from their wide range of collections.
4. Add the product and make your payment by NEFT, RTGS, GPay, PAYTM, or PhonePe. Remember that Cash On Delivery option is not available
5. After the order, you will get tracking details from them.
In Delhi, you can also purchase green firecrackers from a famous local shop known as Sardar Ji Pataakhe wale (contact no- 09810010239) in Kamla Nagar.
Check their Facebook page here.
Don’t worry if you are living in some other city and want to buy green crackers.
All you have to do is to check your local shops.
How to Spot the Counterfeit or Traditional Crackers?
Indian Government has developed a green logo and a quick response (QR) coding system to differentiate the green crackers from regular ones.
QR code is a novel feature incorporated on firecrackers to avoid the manufacture and sale of counterfeit products.
This will also help the consumers to track the cracker using smartphones and other devices.
What the Indian Government is doing to protect our environment?
Refer to the tweet by Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr. Harsh Vardhan:
Green crackers contain new and improved formulations as compared to previous sound-emitting crackers and other fireworks.
The aim of green crackers is to reduce pollution and health risks.
The poor quality raw materials used in firecrackers are the major sources of particulate matter pollution.
CSIR is installing additional facilities for raw materials testing at Sivakasi that will improve the quality of firecrackers.
Apart from the above, CSIR-NEERI has also established an emission testing facility for monitoring the emissions and sound during fireworks.
Conclusion:
Green crackers are environment-friendly firecrackers that will not only keep the Diwali celebrations intact but will also support millions of homes, which rely on the sale and manufacture of fireworks.
It is a great initiative taken by the Indian Government to curb air pollution.
Now we must use these eco-friendly crackers and contribute to protecting the environment.
Please comment whether you are using Green Crackers this Diwali or not?
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