— India hopes to temper the environmental damage from its biggest annual holiday on Sunday with low-emission firecrackers and light shows, but the plan’s uneven rollout has hurt some businesses and proven difficult to enforce.
In response to a petition filed on behalf of three infants, India’s Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in October 2018 that banned conventional firecrackers and enforced a two-hour limit for setting them off — an order that many people flouted last year, contributing to toxic smog blanketing New Delhi the following day.“My business has been hit a lot, it’s down by about 70%,” said Dhanraj Jain, who has been selling firecrackers in Old Delhi for eight years.
“Green” firecrackers, indicated by a green logo and a special QR code, emit 30% fewer emissions than traditional ones and don’t contain arsenic or lead, according to the government-funded Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. “I agree with some of the sellers that the whole project started a bit late this year, but I think it will get straightened out as we go along,” Kumar said.
In Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, the months from October until February are characterized by chronically hazardous air quality. The “green” crackers include ingredients that help form water vapor after they are used, which helps particles settle faster in the atmosphere, according to Kumar.