November 7th 2023.
Mumbai is bracing for a further decline in air quality this Diwali weekend, and Awaaz Foundation's chemical testing of firecracker samples has revealed that many brands labeled as ‘green’ are not as ‘green’ as they claim. The samples contained chemicals listed as ‘hazardous’ and some even contained barium, which is banned by the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, many of the samples lacked the chemical composition on the labels or had false or incomplete information. QR codes, which are used to access information about the manufacturer, chemical composition, and certification of the products, were also missing from many firecracker boxes.
The testing revealed that many of the samples contained sulphur trioxide, vanadium pentoxide, and barium, all of which are listed ‘hazardous and toxic’ under the ‘Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules 1989’ of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Awaaz Foundation has sent the reports of the test results to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, urging the government to ban the fireworks. Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation said that the enforcement agencies have not done their job at different stages and emphasized the urgency of the situation given the high pollution levels currently.
The Supreme Court also noted the sampling by Awaaz Foundation and even mentioned in its October 29 order that the ‘green crackers’ are being mislabeled and the QR codes provided on the boxes of ‘green crackers’ are alleged to be fake.
Green firecrackers are developed by a group of laboratories, including the National Chemical Laboratory, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute , and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. The fireworks have to be cleared for sale by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and manufacturers, dealers, and transporters have to get clearance from the police.
The Supreme Court has cracked down on air pollution and has banned construction debris transport and limited Diwali firecrackers. It is crucial that the government takes immediate action to ban the sale of hazardous and polluting crackers in order to prevent further air pollution and protect the health of people.
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