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On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the city registered an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the recommended limit set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, amounting to 15-20x above safe levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the deadly smog that covers the metropolis as the cold season sets in.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current city government petitioned the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Legal Decision and Enforcement

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, the court approved the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered contamination peaking around midnight to the most severe levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partly blaming worsening air quality in their urban centers on contaminants coming from India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the air has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the peak records ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is attributed to a mix of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring states of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous smog that becomes contained over the city as cooler air sets in.

Health and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can result in oncological diseases.

The pollution is projected to be responsible for ten thousand early deaths per year in Delhi.