Delhi residents will be allowed to burst only certified green firecrackers for two one-hour windows on November 7 and 8, under restrictions issued as the capital’s air quality moved close to the severe category. Firecrackers may be used from 6am to 7am and from 8pm to 10pm, while use outside these hours has been prohibited.
The district magistrate (East), in an order cited by PTI, said the restrictions would be strictly enforced. The Delhi government has also appealed to residents to follow the Supreme Court’s directions on the sale and use of green firecrackers across Delhi-NCR.
Only green firecrackers certified by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, or CSIR-NEERI, will be permitted for sale. The order requires firecracker boxes to be properly sealed and carry valid product- and batch-specific QR codes.
Sales will be allowed only at locations designated by Delhi Police. Sale from unauthorised locations and online platforms has been prohibited. Joint enforcement teams comprising district officials and Delhi Police personnel have been directed to conduct regular inspections and prevent the sale and use of prohibited firecrackers.
The order also bars firecracker use within 300 metres of hospitals, nursing homes, health centres, old-age homes, educational institutions and other notified silence zones. Violations may result in confiscation and penal action under applicable laws and the Supreme Court’s directions.
The restrictions come as Delhi faces worsening air quality ahead of Diwali. The city’s overall Air Quality Index touched 391 at 9am on Friday, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category and close to the 401 threshold for ‘severe’ air quality, according to PTI. Of 59 monitoring stations, 30 recorded severe air quality, while the remaining stations were in the very poor category.
Rohini recorded the highest AQI at 475, followed by IIT Delhi at 472. The AQI rose from 389 at 8am to 391 at 9am. Under the Central Pollution Control Board’s classification, an AQI between 301 and 400 is ‘very poor’, while a reading between 401 and 500 is ‘severe’.
The Air Quality Early Warning System indicated that Delhi was likely to record its first severe air-quality day of the season on Friday, with conditions expected to persist until November 8. Firecracker emissions will coincide with the peak stubble-burning season in the National Capital Region, adding to the pollution load already affecting the city, according to the report.
The Supreme Court on November 2 permitted the manufacture, sale and bursting of approved green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR around Diwali, subject to specified timings. The court also directed that the complete ban on firecrackers be restored from November 9.
Separately, the Supreme Court said on Friday that vehicular emissions were a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR and stressed the need for immediate, medium-term and long-term measures. The case is scheduled to come up again on November 16, after the Diwali vacation.
