Hyderabad goes green this Diwali

Hyderabad: The green crackers have been making headlines every Diwali for the last few years. Unlike earlier years which saw only limited availability of green crackers in the market, this time, the firecracker dealers’ association is confident that most crackers available in Hyderabad will be eco-friendly. “The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has prepared […]

Hyderabad: The green crackers have been making headlines every Diwali for the last few years. Unlike earlier years which saw only limited availability of green crackers in the market, this time, the firecracker dealers’ association is confident that most crackers available in Hyderabad will be eco-friendly.

“The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has prepared the chemical formula for the green crackers that all the manufactures were asked to adopt. Our stock of crackers comes from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, and they have followed all the instructions. So, about 80 per cent of the crackers that will be available in Hyderabad’s market this year will be green crackers. The remaining 20 per cent are left overs from last year’s stock. I am hopeful that from next year, 100 per cent crackers sold in Telangana will be eco-friendly,” shares K Venu Gopal, General Secretary, Telangana Fire Works Dealers Association (TFWDA), who also owns a whole selling firecracker shop at LB Nagar.

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Pratap Kumar, the Treasurer of TFWDA as well as of All India FireWorks Dealers Association, points out that being forewarned about the instructions helped them get all the stock well within time for the festival.

“Last year the problem was that most of the dealers had already bought the crackers when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the use of green crackers in the country. However, we are prepared this year. We understand the importance of eco-friendly crackers, and are happy to adopt the change. Many retailers have already placed their orders and started setting up the stalls,” he says.

Dealing with the increasing pollution daily, the citizens too are in favour of using a more environmentally conscious option.

Dr Deepesh Mathur, a city-based dentist, says that we can have a grand celebration and be eco-conscious at the same time. “India is among one of the most polluted nations. The use of toxic crackers only adds to the pollution every year. They not just harm the environment, but create many issues for patients with breathing issues, senior citizens and even animals. I believe that green crackers are a better option when celebrating the festival, as the emission is not as harmful,” he says.

Understanding Green Crackers:

Green crackers are developed using a chemical formula that makes them less harmful for the environment than the conventional ones.

In the green crackers, the usual polluting chemicals such as Aluminium, Barium, Potassium, Nitrate and Carbon are either cut down to reduce emissions by about 30 per cent or completely removed. These crackers have been developed by CSIR’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

Look for the logo:
While the conventional crackers and green crackers might look the same, the latter carries a logo or QR Code on its box certifying it to be green cracker. The logo will also have the stamp of CSIR-NEERI-INDIA.

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