Homemade explosives made using potash (typically potassium chlorate) are emerging as an alternative to conventional firecrackers during Diwali, with AIIMS Delhi recording a significant number of potash-related burn injuries and injuries caused by alternative firecrackers over the past few years.
“In the past, we have received burn cases caused by these carbide guns when they were more often used by farmers to scare away animals from fields. The RP Centre recorded a total of 200 eye injuries during Diwali in 2025, up from 160 in 2024. Of these, 40 were linked to carbide guns, according to data provided by the hospital. Of the total injuries caused by carbide guns, most were severe (25%), ” a hospital official said, adding that most victims were boys aged seven to 15.
However, we are noticing a separate increase in burns during Diwali due to potash-related mixtures, and for the last two years, the department has been recording potash-related burn cases separately,” an official said.
The department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery received 70 burn injury cases caused by firecrackers in 2024, while the hospital separately recorded 17 cases of “potash-related” burns, according to the data. Dr Radhika Tandon, professor of ophthalmology at AIIMS, said the injury patterns seen last year called for preventive action ahead of this Diwali. However, now we are witnessing these being made by children and even adults during Diwali as a replacement for regular firecrackers,” Dr Tandon said.
“Earlier, the department would record data for burns caused by firecrackers, diyas and electrical burns during Diwali. “While during Diwali, we usually get eye injury cases caused by firecrackers, last year, for the first time, we received a huge number of eye injury cases caused by home-assembled carbide guns.
Following a surge in serious eye injuries during the 2025 Diwali festivities, the Madhya Pradesh government imposed a statewide ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase, display and use of carbide guns. The order, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, also prohibited the sharing of related videos on social media to curb their spread among young people.
Dr Tandon said preventive measures were needed to address both the physical availability of such devices and the online circulation of videos demonstrating how to assemble them.
