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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Several parts of the capital registered an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to ten times the recommended threshold established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Developments

Since 2020, officials had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the dangerous haze that covers the capital as the cold season sets in.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected local leadership petitioned the highest court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and public health".

Legal Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, judges approved the request, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during specific hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the time restrictions across the city, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the city showed air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous levels observed during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from India following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated readings of pollution in Delhi have remained as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to 70% higher the most severe readings ever documented in China's capital, which was previously considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a mix of various sources including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing toxic smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million people living in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be accounting for 10,000 untimely fatalities each year in the city.