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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of Delhi showed an AQI over 500, which translates to 10x the healthy level established by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1,800, representing 15-20x higher than safe levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had implemented a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that blankets the capital as colder weather begins.

However earlier this year, the current regional government appealed to the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% less polluting – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Court Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, the court approved the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during specific periods throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread flouting of the designated hours across the city, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Many recording stations throughout the city registered pollution peaking around the night hours to the most severe measurements seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

The widespread use of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Problem

The dangerously high readings of pollution in Delhi have continued as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Various Contamination Sources

The situation in Delhi is caused by a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, construction activities, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in nearby regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating hazardous smog that then gets trapped over the city as winter air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three 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 respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k untimely mortalities each year in the city.