00:00Delhi's Green Diwali experiment appears to have backfired.
00:07This year, the Delhi NCR region was allowed to use certified green firecrackers for the
00:16first time since a blanket ban on 2020, but the cost was steep. According to data from
00:21the Central Pollution Control Board, the city woke up on 21st October 2025 to an average
00:26AQI above 350 with hotspots like Anand Bihar, Wazirpur and Bawana registering readings well
00:32into the severe 401-plus zone. The green firecrackers developed by CSIR NEERI and promoted
00:38as 30% less polluting were meant as a middle ground between tradition and environment.
00:44But many experts say they still emit harmful particles and enforcement was weak,
00:48smuggled conventional crackers, bursting beyond permitted hours and unverified green labels.
00:56That's a crowd of people queuing up to buy crackers at a Gurgaon warehouse.
01:01The result is a smog choke morning and a fresh reminder that peaking cracker chemistry isn't
01:06enough when meteorology, stubble burning and poor enforcement are still at play.
01:10So Delhi continues to suffer its annual smog surge, green initiative or not?
01:15What do you think? Was the introduction of green crackers a good idea?
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