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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Several parts of the capital recorded an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents 10x the recommended threshold established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Yet recently, the current city leadership appealed to the supreme court to request a easing of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, judges agreed to the appeal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout the city showed air quality spiking around midnight to some of the worst levels observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in India following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Issue

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Contamination Contributors

The problem in Delhi is caused by a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, generating dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the city as colder air sets in.

Medical and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to various studies.

This pollution leads to increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k untimely mortalities annually in the capital.