Firecrackers banned in Indian capital till Jan 1 to fight air pollution

It will be a cracker-free Diwali, as the Delhi government on Monday has ordered a complete ban on manufacturing, storing, selling and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Territory of Delhi till January 1, 2025.

A ban has also been imposed on selling and delivery of firecrackers through online marketing platforms.

“There will be a ‘Complete Ban’ on all kinds of firecrackers on manufacturing, storage, selling (including delivery through online marketing platforms) and bursting of all kinds of firecrackers upto 01.01.2025 in the territory of NCT of Delhi,” a letter by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to the Commissioner of Police stated.

The Delhi government has also asked the police in the national capital to implement the directions and sought for submission of daily action taken reports to DPCC.

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Pollution in Delhi

The announcement of firecracker ban in Delhi comes after the capital city witnessed a surge in pollution level on Sunday, a day after the Dussehra celebrations.

Delhi’s air quality slipped from the ‘moderate’ to the ‘poor’ category. As per the Central Pollution Control Board data, the air quality of the capital remained in the ‘poor’ category as of Monday noon, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 228.

Meanwhile, the Centre has been closely monitoring the pollution situation in Delhi before taking anti-air pollution measures under Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

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Delhi govt asks people to cooperate

In a post on X, Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai urged citizens of the national capital to cooperate. “In view of the increasing pollution during winter, a ban has been imposed on the production, storage, sale, and use of firecrackers until January 1. The Delhi government issued instructions regarding the ban. I request cooperation from all Delhiites," he said.

सर्दियों में बढ़ते प्रदूषण को देखते हुए आज से 1 जनवरी तक पटाखों के उत्पादन ,भंडारण ,बिक्री व उपयोग पर प्रतिबंध लागू।
प्रतिबंध को लेकर दिल्ली सरकार ने जारी किया निर्देश।
सभी दिल्ली वालों से सहयोग का अनुरोध। pic.twitter.com/ZrJuMaB1oW

— Gopal Rai (@AapKaGopalRai) October 14, 2024

The ban on firecrackers is part of the Delhi government’s 21-point Winter Action Plan.

On September 25, Rai had said that the ban on firecrackers would be enforced once a notification was issued.  

Rai, recently, also wrote a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, urging to hold an ‘urgent’ meeting to discuss the use of artificial rain during peak pollution periods in Delhi.

The Delhi minister emphasised that with the festival of Diwali approaching, the quality of air is likely to turn hazardous in the national capital at the beginning of November and according to him, there is “already” a delay of approximately one month in the efforts for cloud seeding in the city.

In the letter dated October 10, Rai also conveyed that the use of artificial rains can serve as an emergency measure to curb the excess pollution in the city, as per the exploration of the Delhi government.

Delhi banning firecrackers not new 

The Delhi government’s decision to ban firecrackers is not new as such a ban was first implemented in 2017 following a Supreme Court inquiry into the impact of bursting crackers on the capital’s air quality.

In 2018, the apex court banned all conventional firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, but allowed the bursting of green crackers that did not contain barium salts.  

However, due to the difficulty in distinguishing between green and conventional crackers, the government has been imposing a blanket ban on all firecrackers every winter since 2020.

With inputs from agencies.