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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Readings

Multiple areas of the city showed an pollution measurement over 500, which represents 10x the recommended limit recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1800, representing 15-20x higher than healthy levels.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as the cold season sets in.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed regional government appealed to the highest court to propose a modification of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "heritage and public health".

Court Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities complied with the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited hours throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi showed air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst readings observed during the festival in at least three years.

International Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in neighboring India following the festivities.

Persistent Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous airborne contaminants in the environment has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Diverse Pollution Factors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a combination of various sources including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million people calling home the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions causes elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can even lead to malignancies.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for 10,000 early mortalities each year in the city.