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Tuesday brought citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of the capital registered an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times above safe limits.

Firecracker Ban and Current Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the dangerous smog that blankets the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the current regional government appealed to the supreme court to seek a modification of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "heritage and environment".

Legal Ruling and Enforcement

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, judicial authorities agreed to the appeal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several recording stations throughout the city registered air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

Regional Consequences

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of pollution in Delhi have remained as a major challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Around the festival period, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the peak levels ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, garbage fires and haze from agricultural fires in nearby areas of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic toll on the approximately 33 million people calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be causing approximately 10k premature fatalities annually in the capital.