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On Tuesday morning residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the city recorded an AQI over 500, which represents ten times the safe threshold recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe standards.

Firecracker Restrictions and Current Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that engulfs the capital as winter begins.

However earlier this year, the current city leadership appealed to the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by environmentalists as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during specific hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi registered contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to the most severe measurements seen during the festival in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to worsening pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe concentrations of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of toxic particulate matter in the air has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Contamination Contributors

The problem in the city is caused by a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, building projects, waste incineration and haze from agricultural fires in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, generating dangerous haze that becomes contained over the city as colder air arrives.

Medical and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple research.

This pollution causes high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be responsible for 10,000 early deaths annually in Delhi.