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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Air Quality Readings

Multiple areas of the city recorded an AQI over 500, which equals 10x the recommended limit recommended by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe limits.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had maintained a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Yet earlier this year, the current local leadership approached the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, judges agreed to the proposal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be used during specific time windows throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was considerable flouting of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded pollution spiking around late evening to extremely hazardous readings seen during Diwali in at least three years.

Regional Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing declining air quality in Lahore on pollutants originating in India following the events.

Persistent Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have persisted as a major challenge for over a decade and a half, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the levels of toxic particulate matter in the air has been documented to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst records ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Various Contamination Factors

The situation in the capital is caused by a mix of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, building projects, garbage fires and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, generating hazardous haze that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air descends.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air results in high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature mortalities per year in the city.