The Supreme Court’s order to allow green crackers on a “test basis” just days before Diwali has reopened debate over balancing tradition and health.

Experts say there is no clear way to check whether a cracker is truly green, and past attempts at enforcement have been weak.

Experts warn that giving short notice for new guidelines will make it very hard to enforce them properly in Delhi. The lack of time, resources, and coordination could mean many people ignore the rules.

Scientists warn that even if green crackers reduce pollution by 30 %, the very large number of fireworks burst during Diwali in Delhi-NCR could cancel out that gain.

They argue the scale of use, weak enforcement, and mixing with conventional crackers limit any real benefit to air quality.

As Diwali nears, the Supreme Court has allowed sale and bursting of green crackers in Delhi-NCR for a limited period. These are fireworks made to emit less pollution and toxic gases. But experts caution that even with reduced emissions, the sheer number of crackers may still harm air quality.