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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the city showed an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to 10x the recommended limit set by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, amounting to 15 to 20 times exceeding safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Current Developments

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the dangerous smog that covers the capital as colder weather approaches.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed local leadership approached the highest court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Court Decision and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, judicial authorities approved the appeal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated periods throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the city registered air quality reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst measurements seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also initiated a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming deteriorating air quality in Lahore on pollutants traveling from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant problem for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particles in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever measured in Beijing, which was formerly viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The problem in the capital is caused by a mix of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from crop residue ignition in nearby states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating toxic haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the nearly 33 million people residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to various studies.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be causing ten thousand early fatalities each year in the city.