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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the city recorded an AQI above 500, which translates to ten times the recommended threshold recommended by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x exceeding safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the hazardous pollution that covers the capital as winter begins.

Yet recently, the newly elected city government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities approved the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Many recording stations throughout the city showed contamination spiking around late evening to some of the worst measurements observed during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to worsening air quality in Lahore on hazardous particles coming from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a major challenge for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near the festival period, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been documented to increase dramatically to 70% higher the worst levels ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The problem in the city is attributed to a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in adjacent states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, agricultural workers routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating toxic pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Health and Economic Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million people residing in the capital region is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

These hazardous conditions causes elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be accounting for ten thousand early deaths each year in the city.