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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the city registered an AQI above 500, which translates to 10x the safe level set by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, representing 15 to 20 times exceeding healthy standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Developments

Beginning in 2020, authorities had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly smog that engulfs the city as the cold season approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the recently formed city administration approached the supreme court to propose a modification of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Ruling and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, the court agreed to the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread violation of the designated hours across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital registered contamination peaking around the night hours to the most severe measurements recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab pointing to worsening pollution levels in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from India following the festivities.

Persistent Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a serious challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the amount of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the worst readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Diverse Pollution Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, generating dangerous haze that then gets trapped over the city as colder air arrives.

Medical and Economic Toll

Public health and economic consequences on the nearly 33 million people residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air causes high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can even lead to malignancies.

The pollution is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely deaths each year in the capital.