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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the city recorded an air quality index above 500, which translates to ten times the healthy threshold established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, equating to 15 to 20 times exceeding safe levels.

Firecracker Prohibition and New Changes

Since 2020, officials had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the capital as winter approaches.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed local leadership appealed to the highest court to request a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and environment".

Court Ruling and Reality

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities complied with the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during specific periods throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the regulated periods across the city, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi recorded pollution peaking around midnight to some of the worst levels seen during celebrations in at least three years.

International Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during the celebrations also initiated a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on pollutants originating in across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe concentrations of pollution in the city have persisted as a significant challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around Diwali, the concentration of dangerous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the worst records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Various Contamination Factors

The problem in the capital is caused by a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, creating toxic smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million residents calling home the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous research.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung disorders, and can even lead to cancer.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing approximately 10k untimely mortalities per year in the city.