Green crackers cause 30% less pollution than others: Pollution Control Board

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Urging the public to use only 'Green Cracker' during Diwali this season, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) Assam said, "'Green crackers cause 30% less pollution than others. General crackers contain the chemical Barium Nitrate which is responsible for heavy smoke and emissions while green crackers contain lesser or no barium at all."

A source told The Sentinel, Assam is going to witness less pollution this Diwali as the state government has prohibited sale and usage of all crackers apart from green crackers. People have been allowed only a two-hour window to burst green crackers from 8 pm to 10 pm during Diwali.

An official of the Pollution Control Board (PCB), Assam on Thursday said that the state is expected to witness at least 30 per cent less pollution this Diwali due to the curb on regular crackers.

"Only use of green crackers will not only reduce air pollution but will also reduce sound pollution. The generally used regular crackers emit about 160 decibels of sound, whereas green crackers have a sound level of 110-125 decibels. Green crackers are eco-friendly crackers that are manufactured from alternative raw materials. It leaves a lesser impact on the environment and poses lesser health risks. Last year the Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Assam was found to be 'poor' before Diwali and therefore we had put a curb on bursting fire crackers. This year's AQI level in all the cities and towns in Assam including Guwahati is 'moderate' or below and therefore we have allowed a 2-hour window for bursting green crackers," the PCB official said.

Mentionably, the PCB, Assam in a notification on November 1 had allowed bursting of green crackers for two hours during Diwali from 8pm to 10pm and on Chatth Puja from 6am to 8am.

After the Supreme Court banned manufacture of polluting firecrackers, allowing bursting of only green crackers, the CSIR- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was entrusted with the task of formulating the composition of less polluting crackers. The institute invented two types of green crackers - sound emitting and light emitting. The composition of toxic chemicals in both the categories was substantially reduced. While the modified sound-emitting crackers reduced the emissions of particulate matter (PM) by 25-35%, the percentage reduction for (PM) in light-emitting crackers is estimated to be between 20-25%.

Also Read: Bursting of crackers prohibited near Guwahati Refinery, oil pipelines

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