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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Levels

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI over 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the healthy threshold established by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than healthy limits.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Developments

Since 2020, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the hazardous smog that engulfs the metropolis as colder weather sets in.

Yet recently, the newly elected city government appealed to the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, mandating that green firecrackers could be used during limited hours throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered air quality reaching highest levels around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing worsening air quality in Lahore on pollutants traveling from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous particles in the environment has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe readings ever documented in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Diverse Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is caused by a convergence of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating dangerous haze that becomes contained over the capital as winter air sets in.

Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three million people living in the capital region is substantial, according to various investigations.

This pollution causes high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature mortalities per year in Delhi.