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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "critical" category.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Several parts of Delhi showed an air quality index above 500, which translates to 10x the recommended level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times higher than healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Current Changes

Since 2020, authorities had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that blankets the capital as the cold season sets in.

However earlier this year, the recently formed local administration petitioned the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities complied with the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the designated hours across the city, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital showed air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous readings seen during Diwali in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe concentrations of pollution in Delhi have remained as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Various Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the capital is caused by a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, rural residents regularly ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air descends.

Health and Financial Impact

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million residents living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to various studies.

This pollution results in elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing diseases, and can result in malignancies.

Air quality crisis is projected to be responsible for approximately 10k premature deaths annually in the city.