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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an AQI exceeding 500, which translates to 10x the healthy limit recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of eighteen hundred, equating to 15-20x higher than healthy levels.

Firecracker Prohibition and Current Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected city administration appealed to the highest court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% less polluting – as a middle ground between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, the court approved the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the city, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded pollution peaking around late evening to some of the worst measurements seen during the festival in at least three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to worsening pollution levels in their urban centers on hazardous particles originating in India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high levels of pollution in the capital have remained as a significant challenge for over a decade and a half, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the concentration of toxic particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Sources

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a combination of various sources including transportation pollution, construction debris, building projects, waste incineration and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, generating toxic smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health consequences on the approximately 33 million people living in the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and lung disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for ten thousand premature deaths each year in the city.