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Tuesday brought citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Various sections of the city registered an air quality index over 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the healthy threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, representing 15-20x exceeding acceptable limits.

Fireworks Prohibition and Current Policy Shifts

Since 2020, the government had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that blankets the city as winter sets in.

However recently, the current regional leadership petitioned the highest court to request a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "heritage and environment".

Court Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities approved the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread violation of the regulated periods across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital showed contamination peaking around late evening to extremely hazardous measurements observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Regional Effects

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the events.

Persistent Pollution Issue

The dangerously high levels of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Near celebratory seasons, the levels of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the peak readings ever documented in Beijing, which was previously considered as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Various Contamination Contributors

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers regularly set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating dangerous haze that becomes contained over the city as cooler air descends.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million residents living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k early fatalities per year in the city.