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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that registered in the "critical" level.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the healthy limit recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Developments

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous pollution that engulfs the capital as the cold season sets in.

Yet recently, the current city government appealed to the highest court to propose a modification of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Court Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during limited hours throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Several air quality sensors throughout the city showed air quality spiking around late evening to the most severe measurements observed during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants originating in across the border following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition showing no improvement.

Around the festival period, the levels of toxic airborne contaminants in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the peak levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the globally most contaminated city.

Various Pollution Factors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally burn crop residue to prepare for next season, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is projected to be causing approximately 10k early deaths annually in Delhi.