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So how clean was Delhi’s Diwali after Supreme Court’s ‘green cracker’ order?

Delhi Police seized thousands of banned crackers, but illegal sales persisted — resulting in AQIs approaching 1,000 in parts of NCR

Smog gun in action by the ashen India Gate as Delhi chokes on air quality
Smog gun in action by the ashen India Gate as Delhi chokes on air quality Vipin/National Herald

The bursting of firecrackers during this year’s Diwali festival has released highly toxic heavy metals into the air, according to the Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation Awaaz Foundation.

The NGO highlighted that the prolonged monsoon season, extending almost until the festival, made the impact of firecrackers immediately evident through a sharp deterioration in air quality levels.

While Awaaz criticised the Maharashtra government for failing to control the use of hazardous firecrackers and not protecting citizens from detrimental health effects, the criticism was surely as applicable for authorities in Delhi-NCR, the Delhi NCT government, as well as the Supreme Court taking suo motu notice of the capital’s air pollution hazard.

The Awaaz Foundation’s statement of Tuesday said, ‘Despite years of testing and campaigning, the (Maharashtra) state government has failed to control the adverse health effects of people from bursting of toxic firecrackers.’ It shared a list of 25 varieties of firecrackers tested this year, noting that many did not mention noise levels and some lacked required QR codes.

Crucially, the chemical composition printed on many firecrackers was found to differ significantly from laboratory findings.

For example, blueberry firecrackers were labelled as containing potassium nitrate (55 per cent), aluminium (20 per cent), sulphur (15 per cent) and zeolite (10 per cent). However, lab analysis detected aluminium at 36.571 per cent. This discrepancy raises concerns about the accuracy of labelling and the toxicity of burning these products.

And we have no reason to suppose the analysis or oversight were any better in the NCT.

While the use of green crackers, which supposedly release about 30 per cent fewer harmful emissions than traditional fireworks, was intended as a public health compromise, their benefits have been largely negated by enforcement failures and continued bursting of banned crackers outside the permitted window.

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Here's a comparison of post-Diwali mornings in Delhi

  1. 2025: This year, Delhi allowed the use of green crackers in hopes of reducing pollution. However, the air quality remained poor the morning after Diwali, with the overall city AQI at 350 and Anand Vihar recording 360, both in the very poor category. While these numbers are slightly better than the previous year, they still indicate that even green crackers and restrictions have not brought meaningful relief to Delhi’s post-Diwali air.

  2. 2024: Despite a blanket ban on firecrackers, Delhi’s air quality index shot up to 359 across the city and 396 in Anand Vihar, edging close to the severe category. The smog that blanketed the city showed that violations continued, and external contributors like stubble burning and low wind speeds trapped pollutants near the surface, worsening the situation.

  3. 2023: The day after Diwali saw one of the worst spikes in recent years, with Delhi’s AQI climbing to 438 (severe category) from 269 just a day earlier. At Anand Vihar, the level stood at 312 (very poor). Despite a ban on firecrackers, widespread use across the city led to a smoky haze and visible deterioration in air quality, demonstrating how enforcement challenges continue to undermine pollution control efforts.

  4. 2022: The AQI in Delhi on the morning after Diwali was 315, placing it in the very poor category, while Anand Vihar recorded 356. Although there was some relaxation for green crackers, the pollution levels remained dangerously high, with PM10 identified as the dominant pollutant. The year showed how even partial relaxations could quickly undo weeks of improved air quality.

  5. 2021: Post-Diwali, Delhi’s AQI reached a staggering 454, placing it firmly in the severe category. Despite a complete ban on firecrackers, widespread defiance was reported. Combined with peak stubble burning activity and cold, stagnant air, the city experienced one of its most toxic mornings of the decade, marking a grim start to the winter pollution season.

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“People burst firecrackers on Diwali night before and after the 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm window across the city,” officials admitted, as vendors illegally sold traditional crackers alongside green ones.

Experts caution that even green crackers still produce approximately 70 per cent of the pollutants present in regular ones and warn that the cumulative effect outweighs the partial reduction per cracker.

Environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari cautioned, “We are talking about public health. Thirty per cent less pollution is meaningless. Are you saying less poison? Do you want to feed your children less poison? I have fought for clean air for decades, and I still managed to give my children only damaged lungs.”

Weather and pollution patterns further compound Delhi’s annual smog crisis. The city’s notorious winter pollution season, intensified by low wind speeds and temperature inversion, was already underway, with stubble burning contributing less than usual this year.

The advanced pollution curbs of the GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) Phase 2 were invoked just before Diwali, restricting coal, firewood, and diesel generators, but firecracker emissions still piled on the toxic mix.

Experts note that the policy shift to green crackers aimed to balance cultural celebration with health concerns, but falls short in impact without strict enforcement. Sunil Dahiya, a Delhi-based environmental policy analyst, explained, “While each green cracker produces 30 per cent less pollution, the marginal gain is negated by the sheer volume being burst, resulting in a net increase in emissions.”

Health professionals urge vulnerable groups to take precautions. Pulmonologist Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover noted, “Green firecrackers still emit 70 per cent of pollutants. Asthma and COPD patients, especially, should wear N95 masks and avoid outdoor exposure during and after firecrackers.”

The Delhi Police’s crackdown seized thousands of banned crackers, but illegal sales persist. The Supreme Court’s nuanced relaxation of the firecracker ban — from complete prohibition in 2020 to permitting green crackers this year — reflects ongoing tensions between public health imperatives and cultural practices.

With agency inputs

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