The Supreme Court may have issued orders, urging citizens to use only green crackers, but environmentalists in the city say there isn’t anything like a ‘green cracker’.
They point out that the only way to ensure a ‘green’ festival is to not burst crackers at all.
Dr T V Ramachandra, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, says “There are attempts to manufacture green crackers devoid of harmful chemicals to minimise health hazards but we may not have enough stock to meet the requirement this year.”
He adds that not bursting any crackers would be the best option as there will not be either noise nor chemical pollution.
Well-known environmentalist Suresh Heblikar welcomes the Supreme Court’s order to use green firecrackers in place of the conventional ones but says that green crackers are not developed as yet.
“The materials used to make firecrackers are aluminium powder, potassium chlorate and magnesium. The magnesium creates sparks, which are beautiful to watch but its harmful effects have long-lasting repercussions on people’s health and the environment,” says Suresh.
Asked about the concept of green crackers, Suresh says, “The material to be used in them is being tested by the CSIR. Instead of the usual firecrackers which release a lot of particulate matter, the green crackers will release the water vapour and less of aluminium. Less of emission and less of sound is what is expected from these.”
A N Yellappa Reddy, Chairman, Bengaluru Environment Trust, says he has never heard the term green crackers before.
“Those who have floated such a term must also spell out the contents that are used to make this product and the chemistry involved in the burning. There is something called Producer’s Extended Responsibility which entails that anybody who produces any material should clearly spell what risks are involved and what precautions could be taken. This has not been done in this case,” says Yellappa.
He points out that people must stop buying crackers because the only beneficiaries are the industries that manufacture them.
“These crackers are made by children. While the production cost is only 25 to 30%, the profit margin is almost 70%,” he sums up.
What are green crackers?
Green crackers are said to be less harmful as compared to the conventional firecrackers. The materials in them are less harmful to the environment.