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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of Delhi recorded an AQI over 500, which translates to ten times the healthy threshold set by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Developments

Since 2020, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the dangerous haze that covers the capital as the cold season approaches.

However in recent months, the recently formed local administration petitioned the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Court Decision and Enforcement

Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, the court complied with the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during designated periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was extensive flouting of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital showed contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst levels seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating air quality in Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in the capital have persisted as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

During celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Diverse Pollution Factors

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as winter air sets in.

Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the roughly thirty-three million residents living in the capital region is significant, according to multiple studies.

This pollution results in increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can even lead to cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be responsible for 10,000 early fatalities per year in the capital.