Diwali fireworks ban in Indian capital New Delhi sparks pollution row
- Firecrackers have long been part of Diwali festival landscape but attitudes changing and bans emerging, with pollution a key concern
- But while India is world’s second largest fireworks industry, after China, many point out pollution is caused by other things too
Farmers burning crop stubble also causes poor air quality, though, as do vehicle and industrial emissions. But wanting to create loud and colourful explosions for fun is increasingly leading to uproar, all against the backdrop of the fireworks industry in India being the world’s second largest, after China.
In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that only “green” fireworks would be permitted, and only after safety checks. Three years later the court also banned the use of barium nitrate, which is toxic. Its removal, though, has meant a lower shelf life for firecrackers, another impact on manufacturers and their supply chains.
Developed by the country’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), green fireworks “emit pollutants at a 30 per cent lesser rate than their conventional counterparts,” according to ex-health minister Harsh Vardhan.
But they often still use polluting chemicals, albeit in lower quantities. Emissions can include carcinogenic metals and some pollutants, like nitrogen oxide, can lead to respiratory diseases or heart failure.
The government’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) decides what can and cannot go into green crackers, saying “green fireworks are made of fewer raw materials and additives. Such fireworks must not contain highly toxic materials like lithium, barium, lead and arsenic”.
But merely “inserting the word green” does not make fireworks safe, said Arup Halder, a pulmonologist (specialising in lung conditions) and environmental expert. He told an Indian newspaper he “couldn’t find any scientific study in the public domain on the impact of green crackers on human health”.
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Hindu festival Diwali leaves Indian capital choking in heavy smog
That may help to explain why last month the Delhi Pollution Control Committee ordered a complete ban on the production, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers until January 1.
But Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on October 12 requested his Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal, allow the sale of fireworks as “the livelihoods of millions of workers in the firecracker manufacturing industry in the state were at stake”.
The Indian fireworks industry’s annual turnover is 80-billion-rupee (US$966 million) and Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi, about 550km (340 miles) from the capital Chennai, is the sector’s hub, with over 1000 manufacturing units and 650,000 dependent families.
Sources said that Delhi and the nearby National Capital Region (NCR) usually account for around 30 per cent of the nation’s demand for crackers but sales are down in other areas too. Manufacturers are looking at massive losses as other states, including Orissa and Rajasthan, have also ordered partial bans or specific timings on when Diwali fireworks can be set off.
Chemical engineer Mathan Deivendran, who owns Lima Fireworks in Sivakasi, said making green crackers was “not an easy process, especially without using barium nitrate”.
Crackers absorb moisture without it which reduces shelf life, he said, adding that barium “is not carcinogenic and is present in everything from breast milk to vegetables”.
G Abiruben, the boss of Ayyan Fireworks and vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA) pointed to a 2017 report by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur that does not even list firecrackers in the top 15 contributors to air pollution.
But the Supreme Court refused to accept that, despite evidence that suggested construction dust may be the biggest culprit when it comes to air pollution, followed by vehicle fumes and poor infrastructure.
Abiruben said Delhi had “not taken any concrete steps against farmers for burning stubble because they [the government] fear protests, they are against our industry which is far away in South India … and we are the scapegoats”.
Vir Singh, a Delhi advertising professional, wondered about air quality throughout the year “instead of focusing on two days” and “ruining the livelihoods of rural men and women”. He said the government should also look at stubble burning and thermal plants “and help Delhi breathe better”.
In recent years the fireworks industry has also been under the spotlight due to a spate of accidents. But Abiruben said there were only a few rogue factories. “More than 95 per cent follow safety regulations,” he added. “Accidents happen if care is not taken.”
A ban on fireworks has also become a religious issue, as they are generally only part of Hindu festivals. Ram Natarajan, an IT professional in Chennai, said environmental concerns should be balanced “with culture and celebrations” and the use of green fireworks. “To ban firecrackers is just an extreme step”.
