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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that fell into the "critical" range.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an air quality index above 500, which represents 10x the safe threshold established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, equating to 15-20x above acceptable levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their major role to the dangerous haze that covers the city as winter approaches.

However earlier this year, the current local administration appealed to the judicial authority to seek a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, judges complied with the proposal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during specific time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Numerous recording stations throughout the city recorded contamination spiking around midnight to the most severe levels seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated readings of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have persisted as a serious challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the amount of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever measured in China's capital, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Various Pollution Sources

This crisis in Delhi is resulting from a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing dangerous haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Medical and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million residents living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung disorders, and can result in oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for approximately 10k untimely mortalities each year in the city.