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On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the safe limit established by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe levels.

Firecracker Ban and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that engulfs the city as the cold season begins.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed local administration approached the highest court to propose a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be used during designated periods throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several recording stations throughout the capital recorded air quality reaching highest levels around the night hours to some of the worst levels observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming worsening air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from India following the celebrations.

Persistent Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in the city have remained as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe readings ever documented in China's capital, which was once regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Toll

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is enormous, according to various investigations.

These hazardous conditions causes high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can result in malignancies.

The pollution is projected to be causing ten thousand untimely mortalities each year in the capital.