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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of Delhi registered an pollution measurement above 500, which represents 10x the healthy threshold established by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of eighteen hundred, representing 15-20x above healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and New Policy Shifts

For the past four years, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that blankets the city as colder weather sets in.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current local leadership approached the highest court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, judges agreed to the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be used during specific hours throughout the festival.

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

Many air quality sensors throughout the capital showed air quality spiking around the night hours to some of the worst levels recorded during the festival in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles originating in neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated readings of air contamination in the capital have remained as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the air has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever measured in Beijing, which was previously considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

The problem in the capital is attributed to a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating toxic smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air sets in.

Health and Economic Toll

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million residents living in the capital region is enormous, according to various studies.

This pollution causes elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely fatalities each year in the capital.