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On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the capital recorded an air quality index exceeding 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended limit established by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times exceeding acceptable standards.

Firecracker Prohibition and New Developments

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly smog that engulfs the capital as the cold season approaches.

However in recent months, the newly elected city leadership petitioned the judicial authority to request a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Legal Decision and Enforcement

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judges complied with the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital showed contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous levels recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

International Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also initiated a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to worsening air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of pollution in the city have remained as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around celebratory seasons, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst levels ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is resulting from a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, farmers regularly ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, producing toxic haze that remains stagnant over the city as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Financial Impact

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can even lead to malignancies.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing approximately 10k untimely deaths annually in the city.