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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Several parts of the city recorded an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe limit set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times above acceptable standards.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and New Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

However earlier this year, the newly elected local government petitioned the judicial authority to request a modification of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological activists, the court approved the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the city, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Several recording stations throughout the capital registered air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe measurements recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also initiated a blame game with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming worsening air quality in their urban centers on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the events.

Persistent Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

Around the festival period, the levels of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to seventy percent above the peak readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Pollution Sources

This crisis in Delhi is caused by a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in nearby regions of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to prepare for next season, generating toxic haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the Delhi area is enormous, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can result in oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for 10,000 early fatalities per year in the capital.