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As Tuesday dawned residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Various sections of the capital registered an air quality index above 500, which translates to 10x the recommended limit established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x above safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Current Policy Shifts

For the past four years, the government had implemented a total prohibition on the sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous smog that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected city administration petitioned the supreme court to request a easing of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several monitoring devices throughout the city showed air quality peaking around late evening to the most severe measurements seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on hazardous particles originating in neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

During the festival period, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the environment has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the globally most contaminated city.

Diverse Pollution Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and haze from agricultural fires in nearby states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers regularly burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air causes elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing 10,000 premature fatalities annually in Delhi.