Diwali 2025: Green crackers scarce as Delhi markets flooded with conventional crackers

Though the Supreme Court allowed green crackers before for Diwali 2025, the stores are stacked with traditional crackers, which are in high demand. The green crackers have been put on the margin and are slow in sales. As the orders for crackers are placed and the manufacturing process begins almost six months ahead of Diwali, and they cannot be produced in a week or so, there is dearth of green crackers in the market. On the other hand, the traditional crackers have been manufactured like years before. In his order issued on October 15, five days before Diwali 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the sale of only green crackers in Delhi-NCR from October 18 to October 21. Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State PCB to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) from October 18 and submit the report to the court.

What are green crackers?

The so-called green crackers are fireworks developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI). These are less polluting, as these are made by reducing the size of the shells, eliminating ash, using fewer raw materials, and adding dust-suppressing additives. The main objective of making the green crackers is to reduce emission of the particulate matter (PM) by at least 30%. It will also slash gaseous emissions, such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂), by 10%.

There are three types of green crackers on sale in the markets in Delhi NCR. These are SWAS (Safe Water Releasable), STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker), and SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium). These firecrackers will produce brightness and sound comparable to conventional firecrackers (around 100 to 120 dB), while reducing particulate matter (PM), SO₂, and NO₂ emissions by at least 30%.

How are green crackers different from conventional ones?

The green crackers are different from the conventional firecrackers in the way that chemicals such as barium, sulfur, potassium nitrate, and aluminum are used to produce bright colours and loud noises. Besides, they also release heavy metals and toxic gases into the air. However, green crackers exclude barium compounds and have drastically reduced aluminum and sulfur content. They rely on cleaner oxidizers and formulations that limit the release of harmful particulates. The green crackers are available in familiar forms such as flower pots (anaar), pencils, sparklers (phuljhadi), bombs, and chakkars, but with modified chemistry.

On the other hand, the ground realities have not changed much. The conventional crackers have returned to the shelves in the market. They are more numerous and easily available than the green ones. The markets across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon are selling these crackers as before. At the Old Lajpat Rai Market, Bhagirath Palace, Dariba Kalan and Sadar Bazaar in Delhi, sellers are selling both crowds and green as well as illicit conventional crackers; the illicit ones are much more than the green crackers.