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On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of the city showed an air quality index exceeding 500, which equals ten times the safe level set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, amounting to 15-20x exceeding acceptable levels.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that covers the metropolis as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed local administration petitioned the judicial authority to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Court Decision and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judges approved the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be set off during designated periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many recording stations throughout the capital showed pollution spiking around the night hours to extremely hazardous readings recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to worsening pollution levels in Lahore on hazardous particles originating in neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have persisted as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated city.

Various Pollution Sources

The problem in Delhi is resulting from a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent areas of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as colder air descends.

Medical and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the nearly 33 million people residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can result in oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for 10,000 untimely deaths per year in the city.