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Tuesday brought residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Various sections of Delhi registered an AQI over 500, which equals ten times the healthy limit recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x exceeding safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly pollution that engulfs the capital as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless recently, the current regional administration petitioned the supreme court to request a relaxation of the ban.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, the court complied with the request, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Several recording stations throughout the capital registered air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings observed during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants originating in neighboring India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Issue

The dangerously high levels of air contamination in the city have persisted as a major problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation continuing to worsen.

During Diwali, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever measured in Beijing, which was once viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Pollution Factors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating toxic haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the approximately 33 million people living in the capital region is significant, according to numerous research.

This pollution causes high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be accounting for approximately 10k early deaths per year in the capital.