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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "severe" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended level established by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of eighteen hundred, equating to 15 to 20 times higher than safe levels.

Firecracker Ban and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that covers the capital as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed city leadership approached the judicial authority to seek a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, the court approved the proposal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during designated time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was considerable flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many recording stations throughout the city registered contamination reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab pointing to worsening air quality in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from India following the festivities.

Chronic Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Near Diwali, the levels of toxic particulate matter in the air has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst records ever recorded in China's capital, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Various Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, building projects, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in adjacent areas of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers regularly ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, creating hazardous haze that becomes contained over the city as cooler air descends.

Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing approximately 10k premature deaths each year in the capital.