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On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the capital recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy limit recommended by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1800, equating to 15-20x above acceptable levels.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, officials had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the city as the cold season sets in.

However in recent months, the newly elected local government petitioned the judicial authority to request a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously questioned by conservation groups as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Decision and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judges agreed to the appeal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during specific hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city showed contamination spiking around midnight to the most severe levels seen during celebrations in at least three years.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also sparked a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in the city have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to seventy percent above the worst readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Multiple Contamination Factors

The problem in the city is caused by a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, rubbish burning and pollutants from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating toxic smog that remains stagnant over the capital as colder air arrives.

Health and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can result in malignancies.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be causing approximately 10k early deaths per year in Delhi.