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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" category.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the city showed an air quality index above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the recommended level set by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of eighteen hundred, representing 15 to 20 times above acceptable limits.

Firecracker Restrictions and Recent Developments

Since 2020, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly smog that engulfs the capital as winter approaches.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected local government petitioned the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "heritage and public health".

Legal Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological campaigners, judicial authorities complied with the proposal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during specific periods throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive flouting of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the capital showed pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe levels recorded during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the festival also initiated a blame game with adjacent the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to worsening air quality in Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from neighboring India following the events.

Persistent Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in Delhi have remained as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Around the festival period, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and smoke from agricultural fires in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating toxic haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives.

Medical and Financial Impact

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is substantial, according to various investigations.

The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be accounting for 10,000 premature fatalities per year in Delhi.