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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Several parts of the city recorded an air quality index over 500, which equals 10x the recommended level recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, amounting to 15 to 20 times above acceptable levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Changes

Since 2020, authorities had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the hazardous pollution that blankets the capital as the cold season approaches.

However recently, the current city government appealed to the judicial authority to request a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Ruling and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judges agreed to the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the time restrictions across the city, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered pollution spiking around the night hours to some of the worst readings recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also initiated a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing worsening pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles coming from India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Around Diwali, the concentration of dangerous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst readings ever measured in China's capital, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Multiple Contamination Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a mix of different contributors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in nearby areas of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, creating hazardous pollution that then gets trapped over the city as cooler air sets in.

Health and Financial Toll

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely deaths per year in Delhi.