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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than healthy levels.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that blankets the city as colder weather approaches.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed city leadership appealed to the highest court to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Legal Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities approved the appeal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the designated hours across the city, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Many recording stations throughout the city registered contamination peaking around the night hours to extremely hazardous readings observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on pollutants originating in neighboring India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in the capital have remained as a major issue for more than 15 years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particles in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical toll on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is significant, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions causes high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for ten thousand early deaths each year in the capital.