A joyous Deepavali for firecracker manufacturers in Sivakasi

Deepavali celebrations this year began much earlier in Sivakasi, the hub of fireworks, thanks to a Supreme Court judgment that allowed bursting of green crackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) for four days for the festival of lights.

“It is a joyous moment for the industry,” says P. Ganesan, president, Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association (TANFAMA). All major associations of manufacturers have welcomed the October 15 ruling, saying it means more sales for the manufacturers.

The judgment has come against the backdrop of the fireworks industry of Sivakasi battling legal tussles for years over accusations of emissions from fireworks further polluting the air during winter in Delhi-NCR. “The industry won’t get any immediate benefit this Deepavali because the court order comes too close to the festival. But it has given us hope for future business,” says A. Asaithambi, president of Sivakasi Fireworks Manufacturers’ Association (SIFMA).

Delhi-NCR consumes about 13% of the fireworks made in the country, manufacturers say. Opening up this market will boost sales for the manufacturers and livelihood of 8 lakh workers in the arid regions of Virudhunagar district, they add. “This gives us a new ray of hope; we can overcome the other pressing issues faced by the industry by way of presenting facts, with scientific backing, before the Supreme Court,” says TANFAMA vice-president G. Abiruben. He was referring to the bans on making joined crackers and using barium nitrate in fireworks manufacture.

Testing times

The industry, which had for years been under a cloud for employing child labourers, managed to shed the image. But the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR seemed to deliver a blow to the industry, which has an annual turnover of ₹6,000 crore. The ban on bursting firecrackers, except for green crackers, in Delhi-NCR in 2018 was considered a major setback. This shook the industry because the threat of ban on firecrackers in many other States during Deepavali loomed large. Green crackers arrived during the Deepavali season in 2019. But, in subsequent years, complaints about non-compliance with the green cracker formula led to a ban on bursting of any firecrackers in Delhi for the 2020 Deepavali. The ban continued for the next three years. Things turned for the worse for the industry when the Delhi government imposed a round-the-year ban on all types of firecrackers in the national capital.

The Supreme Court’s blanket ban on the manufacture of joined crackers and the use of barium nitrate had badly affected the industry as both were staples of the century-old industry’s portfolio. Joined crackers, known by names such as 1,000-wala and 10,000-wala, used to be the most popular product. No celebration would be complete without the garland of firecrackers being burst. A good chunk of the trained workers was dependent solely on making this variety for their livelihood. Joined crackers are also in great demand throughout the year.

Meanwhile, barium nitrate was the most sought-after chemical used by the industry because of its reliability. “It is a highly reliable chemical used as an oxidising agent, and most importantly, it is an easily available indigenous raw material. No light-emitting fireworks can be made without this chemical,” says Mr. Ganesan of TANFAMA. However, this argument did not cut ice with the Supreme Court. The ever-increasing adverse impact of air pollution on human health in Delhi-NCR during the winters over the years was the salient point at the hearings.

Through the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), a public sector unit, the Union government found a solution to the air pollution caused by the fireworks, with the development of green crackers. However, even the claim that green crackers cut air pollution by 30% could not convince the Supreme Court to lift the ban. The industry opined that while dust from the construction industry, emissions from thermal power plants and automobiles, and stubble-burning in Punjab and Haryana were the main reasons for the poor air quality in the NCR, the blame fell on fireworks. “Though firecrackers were burst only for a few hours and for a few days during Deepavali, they became the main target,” says Mr. Abiruben.

Backed by studies

All the studies of air quality index in Delhi-NCR over the past few years had favoured the reintroduction of fireworks, he claims. “Our contention that cracker emissions stay in the air for not more than 24 hours now stands vindicated.”

He adds that a study carried out by a premier Central scientific institution had proved that using barium nitrate in fireworks would not pollute the environment. “Soon, we will present this report with all data before the Supreme Court with a plea to lift the ban,” Mr. Asaithambi  says.

“When the issue of noise pollution was raked up against joined crackers, our industry sponsored a study by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) under the DRDO in 1996-98. The Central Pollution Control Board also commissioned the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) under the CSIR to conduct a study,” he explains. Based on these studies, a formula for the decibel level of each cracker in joined crackers was arrived at and incorporated in the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, through an amendment in 1999. “These standards, including for joined crackers, were upheld by the Supreme Court in 2005,” he said. Subsequently, the Explosives Rules were also amended to incorporate the noise standards. “The issue of joined crackers was settled two decades ago. Now, we need to draw the attention of the Supreme Court to it to get a favourable judgment,” he adds.

T. Kannan, general secretary, Indian Fireworks Manufacturers’ Association, says a study to further reduce emissions from green crackers is under way. TANFAMA says the Indian fireworks industry has the “cleanest” firecrackers in the world in the form of green crackers. Unlike the automobile industry, which was given ample time to revamp its technology based on Bharat emission standards, the fireworks industry did not get any time to find alternatives to barium nitrate. “However, the industry has responded positively to the environmental issues and adopted green crackers approved by the NEERI and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation. We now see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he says.  

New products keep buyers hooked

This year, too, the Sivakasi cracker industry has brought out innovative products to attract buyers. “The innovations are just in the appearance of the fireworks to attract people, especially children,” says M. Hariharasudan, a cracker trader in Sivakasi.

His shop has a new product that is likely to catch the attention of children: a battle tank with nine functions. Camouflaged in olive green, the tank is made of cardboard. When lit, it will send out three jets of showers that emit different lights. “One of them will produce a shower with a crackling sound,” he adds. “After all the jets of showers finish spewing lights, the tank will fire six times in the air.” This is to honour the Indian Army, he adds.

‘Velum, Mayilum’

Another popular product is the peacock. A board with a photograph of a peacock will spew multi-coloured lights in five directions, reminding the people of the colourful feathers of a dancing peacock. A similar shower is emitted by a golden Vel, the divine weapon of Lord Murugan. Another innovation is a guitar made of cardboard with a huge flowerpot inside.

“Emu has become a big hit this year. When lit, the cracker will produce smoke with a whistling sound. Later, a balloon attached to the bird will be blown resembling the emu laying an egg,” Mr. Hariharasudan says. And the money bank spews out replica currency notes as it explodes.

Another fancy product is the cricket bat-ball pair. The one-foot bat is an improved version of the traditional ‘pencil’ shower. The ball, when lit, will emit smoke. The gas cylinder cracker also works similar to the cricket ball. The cylinder would emit smoke and then explode spewing confetti. However, children cannot play with the bat and the ball together as the bat could be used at night and the ball during the day.