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Tuesday brought citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Various sections of Delhi showed an AQI over 500, which translates to 10x the healthy threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1,800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and New Policy Shifts

Since 2020, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the sale and use of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that blankets the capital as the cold season begins.

Yet earlier this year, the current regional administration appealed to the supreme court to propose a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Decision and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, the court approved the request, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited periods throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Many monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous levels observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the amount of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating dangerous haze that then gets trapped over the city as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical consequences on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is substantial, according to multiple research.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand premature deaths annually in the city.