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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the city recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold recommended by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly smog that blankets the city as colder weather begins.

Yet recently, the recently formed local government appealed to the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Judicial Decision and Implementation

To the disappointment of public health and environmental campaigners, judges agreed to the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be used during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Many monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to some of the worst readings recorded during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to declining pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe levels of air contamination in the capital have persisted as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been observed to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst readings ever measured in China's capital, which was previously viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Pollution Sources

The problem in the city is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including transportation pollution, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, rural residents regularly ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing dangerous pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Medical and Financial Toll

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

These hazardous conditions causes increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can result in malignancies.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing approximately 10k untimely deaths each year in Delhi.