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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the capital registered an air quality index over 500, which represents ten times the healthy level established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times above acceptable levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Policy Shifts

Since 2020, authorities had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that covers the city as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed regional government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Legal Decision and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, judges approved the request, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the time restrictions across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital recorded pollution peaking around the night hours to extremely hazardous readings recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The proliferation of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a serious issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around the festival period, the levels of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the peak levels ever documented in China's capital, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in the city is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health impact on the roughly thirty-three million residents residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be responsible for 10,000 untimely fatalities per year in the city.