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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Various sections of Delhi registered an AQI exceeding 500, which represents 10x the healthy limit recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x higher than acceptable standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the city as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed city leadership petitioned the highest court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health campaigners, the court agreed to the proposal, mandating that green firecrackers could be set off during limited hours throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city recorded air quality peaking around late evening to extremely hazardous measurements seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants coming from India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated levels of air contamination in the capital have continued as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Around Diwali, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst records ever documented in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing toxic pollution that becomes contained over the city as colder air arrives.

Health and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand early deaths each year in the capital.