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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the capital showed an AQI over 500, which represents 10x the safe threshold recommended by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than safe standards.

Fireworks Ban and Current Changes

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that blankets the city as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless recently, the newly elected city leadership appealed to the judicial authority to request a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% less polluting – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Ruling and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental advocates, judges approved the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during specific periods throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the city, with little regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Many monitoring devices throughout Delhi showed pollution peaking around the night hours to the most severe levels recorded during the festival in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Implications

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining pollution levels in Lahore on pollutants originating in India following the events.

Chronic Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous particles in the air has been observed to shoot up to 70% higher the peak records ever documented in Beijing, which was formerly viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Contamination Factors

This crisis in the city is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, rubbish burning and pollutants from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Medical and Economic Toll

The economic and health impact on the roughly thirty-three million people calling home the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be causing approximately 10k premature deaths per year in the capital.