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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "severe" range.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of Delhi recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended level recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of eighteen hundred, equating to 15-20x above safe limits.

Firecracker Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly smog that covers the city as colder weather approaches.

However earlier this year, the newly elected city administration approached the supreme court to request a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judges complied with the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles originating in neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in the city have persisted as a serious issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Contamination Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million people residing in the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

This pollution results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be causing ten thousand untimely deaths each year in Delhi.