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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" category.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI over 500, which equals ten times the recommended threshold established by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, equating to 15-20x exceeding safe levels.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous haze that engulfs the city as winter sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the newly elected city administration appealed to the judicial authority to seek a modification of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court approved the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be set off during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the capital registered contamination spiking around late evening to some of the worst readings recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants coming from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

Alarmingly severe levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near the festival period, the amount of hazardous airborne contaminants in the environment has been found to spike to seventy percent above the peak readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is caused by a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, development work, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers routinely burn crop residue to prepare for next season, producing hazardous smog that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as winter air descends.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the approximately 33 million residents calling home the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution results in high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can potentially cause malignancies.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely deaths annually in Delhi.