Delhi's Green Firecracker Experiment Fails As Midnight Bursting Exposes Enforcement Gaps

The limited relaxation of Delhi's firecracker ban during Diwali has once again exposed the difficulties of enforcing restrictions in the national Capital, with fireworks continuing well beyond the permitted hours and questions emerging over whether the crackers being used were genuinely certified as green.

Despite the Supreme Court allowing the sale and use of certified green firecrackers in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) for two days, residents continued bursting fireworks past midnight on Diwali, even though a complete ban was scheduled to return after 10 pm on November 8. The widespread violations added to pollution in a city already struggling with hazardous air quality, leaving several neighbourhoods covered in a thick haze.

Environmental experts have cautioned that green firecrackers are not pollution-free and can still release substantial quantities of harmful particles and gases. They have also questioned the effectiveness of the certification and distribution system, pointing out that there is little monitoring to establish whether consumers are actually using approved green products rather than conventional firecrackers.

Firecracker emissions rise sharply ahead of Diwali

Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at consulting firm Envirocatalysts, said the impact of firecracker emissions was visible even before Diwali night, with sulphur dioxide (SO2), a key indicator of fireworks-related pollution, recording a significant increase.

According to Dahiya, sulphur dioxide levels across Delhi rose by approximately 40% on the night before Diwali after remaining largely unchanged on preceding nights.

"This year, the day before Diwali, we saw a sizeable load of fine particles on top of stubble smoke trapped close to the ground," he said.

Dahiya questioned whether the permitted firecrackers had delivered any meaningful reduction in emissions, arguing that a 30% reduction in pollution does not make a substantial difference when the overall volume of emissions remains high.

"Green firecrackers are meant to emit only about 30% less than conventional ones, and 30% less of a very large amount is still a very large amount. Calling a firecracker 'green' does not clean the air," he said.

Citing Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Dahiya said hourly, city-wide PM2.5 concentrations peaked at nearly 600 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) around 1 am on Diwali night. This was more than 10 times the prescribed 24-hour standard of 60 µg/m³.

He added that relatively light easterly winds had helped keep stubble smoke out of Delhi. However, sulphur dioxide concentrations nearly quadrupled during the period, with most of the increase occurring after the 10 pm deadline for bursting firecrackers.

Dahiya called for an end to firecracker use during festivals and celebrations, alongside stronger measures to control other sources of pollution.

Green firecrackers still release substantial pollutants

The concept of green firecrackers emerged following the Supreme Court's intervention in 2018, when it prohibited the use of barium salts in fireworks. Barium compounds are used to produce green colours in flames and also serve as oxidising agents that supply oxygen for combustion.

The court subsequently permitted only improved and green firecrackers that did not contain barium salts.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), a government environmental research laboratory based in Nagpur, developed the first designs in October 2018. These included SWAS, or Safe Water Releaser, which eliminated potassium nitrate and sulphur from its formulation.

The government claimed that the new formulations could reduce particulate matter emissions by 30-40%. The Supreme Court expected green firecrackers to achieve at least a 25-30% reduction in PM2.5 emissions.

The formulations developed following the court's directions involved replacing barium nitrate with zeolites, reducing aluminium content and incorporating dust suppressants. CSIR-NEERI has maintained that these modifications reduce emissions by approximately 30-35% compared with conventional firecrackers.

However, green firecrackers continue to use metal salts to produce colours and still release particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

According to experts, they can emit around 65-70% of the pollution produced by conventional firecrackers. When millions of fireworks are burst simultaneously, the reduction in emissions from individual crackers may have a limited impact on overall pollution levels.

The CSIR-NEERI framework requires certified green firecrackers to reduce particulate emissions by at least 30% compared with conventional products of the same category, with certain formulations also designed to reduce gaseous emissions. However, the lower emission levels do not make them harmless.

Experts question quality control and availability

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi professor Mukesh Khare said green firecrackers could theoretically help reduce peak pollution levels to some extent, particularly concentrations of gaseous pollutants and secondary aerosols.

However, he identified the availability and distribution of certified products as major obstacles to ensuring compliance.

"Our distribution network is poor, with not enough outlets with green firecrackers. This allows conventional crackers to flood the markets and there are no checks and balances on the ground," he said.

Khare's concerns underline a fundamental problem with the policy: even if approved products are developed and certified, their benefits cannot be realised unless conventional firecrackers are prevented from entering the market and consumers can reliably identify the permitted alternatives.

Swagata Dey, policy specialist and group head of Air Quality Policy and Outreach at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, also questioned the ability of authorities to maintain quality control across large-scale production.

"Green firecrackers are lab-tested in small batches, with no proven quality control at scale, and they still produce smoke," she said.

Dey added that implementing pollution-related restrictions in India remained difficult because of the population's scale and limitations in enforcement.

"Although conventional firecrackers have been banned in NCR for almost five years, ensuring compliance has been difficult," she said.

QR codes and police checks fail to guarantee compliance

The Supreme Court's directions included several safeguards intended to prevent conventional firecrackers from being sold or used under the label of green crackers.

These included product-specific QR codes on approved firecracker boxes, designated locations for their sale and police patrol teams to prevent the distribution and use of conventional fireworks.

The court also required that only products certified by CSIR-NEERI and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) be manufactured and sold during the permitted period.

Under the November 2026 relaxation, the court allowed certified green firecrackers to be burst only between 6 am and 7 am and between 8 pm and 10 pm on November 7 and 8. The complete ban was restored from November 9.

The court also prohibited fireworks within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, primary and district health centres, old-age homes, educational institutions and notified silence zones. Firecrackers joined in series, commonly known as laris, and those containing barium were also prohibited.

The court directed authorities to prevent the entry of illegal and conventional firecrackers into Delhi-NCR. The sale of approved products was restricted to designated locations, with online sales prohibited.

However, the scale of the market and the lack of effective verification on the ground continued to undermine these safeguards.

The Supreme Court had also taken cognisance of a Hindustan Times report published on November 3, which highlighted the sale of prohibited and unverified firecrackers across markets in Delhi-NCR in violation of its directions.

The court's latest order also acknowledged the recurring problems of implementation and non-compliance with its earlier directions. It directed the CPCB, in coordination with state pollution control boards, to monitor air quality and prepare pre-Diwali, Diwali and post-Diwali reports covering November 2 to November 30. Authorities were also asked to collect sand and water samples for comparative analysis. The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 16.

Five years of restrictions have failed to stop illegal bursting

Delhi's experience with firecracker restrictions over the past several years has offered little reassurance about the effectiveness of enforcement.

The Capital had a complete ban on the sale and use of all firecrackers between 2020 and 2024. Despite the restrictions, conventional fireworks continued to be burst during Diwali, with violations reported across several neighbourhoods.

Green firecrackers were subsequently permitted in 2025, and the latest relaxation in 2026 has once again highlighted the difficulty of ensuring that only approved products reach consumers and are used within the prescribed hours.

Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari, who has reported instances of illegal firecracker use to Delhi Police during previous Diwali celebrations, attributed the continuing violations to a lack of commitment among enforcement authorities.

"No one is checking whether these are green firecrackers or conventional ones. Green firecrackers also pollute an overly saturated air in Delhi, when meteorological conditions are highly unfavourable," she said.

Her concerns reflect the gap between the regulations governing firecracker use and the situation on the ground, where authorities have struggled to establish whether the products being burst are genuinely certified.

Residents question the logic of allowing fireworks amid hazardous air

The continued bursting of firecrackers well beyond midnight also drew criticism from residents, particularly those living in neighbourhoods already affected by severe pollution.

Several residents reported that the prolonged fireworks made an already difficult situation worse, with thick smoke spreading across residential areas. Elderly people were among those forced to remain indoors as air quality deteriorated.

BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA forum, questioned the decision to permit even green firecrackers when the city was facing a public health emergency.

"Green or non-green, how can bursting firecrackers be permitted in a city reeling under hazardous air pollution and an acute public health emergency?" he asked.

Vohra said the prescribed time restrictions had clearly neither been followed nor effectively enforced.

"When every other activity is being restricted in the name of protecting public health, allowing firecrackers makes little sense. A change in the label from conventional to green does not make the resulting pollution harmless," he added.

The concerns have renewed questions about whether allowing green firecrackers for limited periods can meaningfully address Delhi's pollution problem without reliable certification, tighter market surveillance and effective enforcement.

While green formulations may reduce emissions compared with conventional fireworks, experts maintain that they cannot eliminate the pollution generated by firecracker use. With conventional products continuing to find their way into markets and restrictions being openly violated, the distinction between green and regular firecrackers risks becoming largely meaningless in practice.