Mumbai: 'Eco-friendly crackers? No such thing', says Awaz Foundation

A shop in Thane that claims to sell 'eco-friendly' firecrackers

Although the government has allowed the sale of 'green crackers' which supposedly result in less noise pollution and have less harmful chemicals, Awaaz Foundation has claimed that these do contain banned chemicals, including barium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur.

The Supreme Court in October 2018 had banned the use of barium nitrate. Some of the green crackers mentioned by Awaaz also have the stamp of NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), which had developed a barium-free formulation. The NGO has written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray regarding the same.

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Sumaira Abdulali, president of the foundation, said, "It is shocking that claims of less noise pollution and barium-free formulas are displayed on the packages. These crackers continue to contribute to respiratory illnesses and will worsen the effects of COVID-19. They violate the Supreme Court's order."

Increased risk this year

In the letter to the government, Awaaz has said, "This year more than ever, official chemical testing and noise testing for firecrackers is essential. MPCB has tested the chemical content of firecrackers since 2015, yet these results have not been made public. We request that MPCB be directed to release the results of their earlier chemical tests specifically for hazardous and banned chemicals and to conduct an official test on permitted firecrackers urgently."

The MPCB's (Maharashtra Pollution Control Board) and Awaaz's joint annual test for noise pollution was cancelled this year. Hence, this year, Awaaz Foundation got the tests for noise levels and chemicals in firecrackers done by itself from private labs.

Sumaira Abdulali, activist

"This year, amid increased use of hand sanitisers, which are flammable, firecrackers are riskier. A mere appeal to use soap and water over sanitisers may be insufficient to prevent burn injuries," the letter added.

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Air pollution trends show that due to weather patterns, Mumbai's air quality worsens during Diwali and continues to be in the bad category for most of the winter.

Awaaz has also claimed that the Mumbai police have been unable to keep up with complaints regarding firecracker use on Diwali.

"The government, while acknowledging the effects of firecrackers on COVID-19 patients, is also letting people have them. It is essential that crackers exceeding permissible decibel limits (which are still available for sale) are not permitted in residential areas," Abdulali added.

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