The state administration has set specific morning and evening windows to reduce air and noise pollution during the festival.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that the public may only burst firecrackers during two specific one-hour windows on Deepavali 2026. According to reports by the Deccan Herald and Hindustan Times, these permitted times are from 6 am to 7 am and 7 pm to 8 pm.
An official release issued on Tuesday stated that the two-hour restriction aims to curb severe air and noise pollution. The government also wants to encourage safe, community-wide celebrations while addressing environmental and public health hazards like land, water, and air pollution.
The state administration appealed to residents to choose environment-friendly practices instead of using smoke-emitting or high-decibel fireworks. The release noted that the festival should be celebrated in harmony with nature.
Following a 2018 Supreme Court judgment, the sale and manufacture of fireworks are restricted to reduced-emission 'green crackers'. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is conducting awareness campaigns through schools, higher education institutions, Eco clubs, the National Green Corps (NGC), and local corporate bodies to ensure compliance.
Authorities have prohibited the use of joint or series crackers because of extreme noise spikes. Additionally, bursting crackers is strictly forbidden near silence zones, including hospitals, courts, religious structures, and educational institutions, or near fire-prone thatched huts.
Neighbourhood welfare associations are being encouraged to host community fire-cracking events in open spaces to help reduce localised emissions.
