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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI over 500, which equals ten times the safe limit established by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x exceeding healthy levels.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the dangerous smog that blankets the capital as colder weather approaches.

Yet recently, the current regional government appealed to the supreme court to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and public health".

Court Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, judges agreed to the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be set off during specific periods throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city recorded pollution spiking around midnight to some of the worst levels recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from India following the festivities.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in the capital have continued as a serious challenge for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been observed to spike to 70% higher the peak levels ever measured in China's capital, which was once regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a convergence of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air sets in.

Health and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million people residing in the capital region is significant, according to multiple research.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to cancer.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing 10,000 untimely deaths each year in Delhi.