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As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the city registered an pollution measurement above 500, which represents ten times the recommended limit established by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, equating to 15-20x above acceptable limits.

Fireworks Ban and Current Policy Shifts

Since 2020, the government had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous pollution that blankets the metropolis as winter sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the current regional leadership approached the supreme court to request a easing of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, the court agreed to the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during limited hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded pollution peaking around late evening to some of the worst levels seen during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in across the border following the events.

Chronic Environmental Crisis

Extremely elevated levels of air contamination in the city have persisted as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Around celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the worst records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million residents calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to various studies.

The contaminated air leads to elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung disorders, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be accounting for 10,000 early mortalities annually in the capital.