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As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of the capital recorded an AQI over 500, which translates to ten times the safe threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe standards.

Firecracker Ban and Current Developments

Beginning in 2020, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the hazardous haze that engulfs the city as colder weather approaches.

However earlier this year, the current regional government appealed to the highest court to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Court Decision and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities approved the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the city, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital showed pollution reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous levels observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The widespread use of firecrackers during the festival also triggered a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in the city have continued as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the environment has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously viewed as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is attributed to a mix of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, construction activities, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to prepare for next season, creating dangerous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Medical and Financial Toll

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million people calling home the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous investigations.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be accounting for ten thousand premature mortalities annually in Delhi.