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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" category.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe level set by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x above healthy levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, officials had enforced a complete ban on the sale and use of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the deadly haze that covers the city as colder weather sets in.

Yet recently, the newly elected city leadership appealed to the judicial authority to request a easing of the ban.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, judges agreed to the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Several air quality sensors throughout the capital showed contamination peaking around late evening to the most severe levels seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province partially attributing worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated readings of pollution in the city have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around the festival period, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the worst records ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The problem in Delhi is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in adjacent regions of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, generating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air descends.

Public Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million people calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous research.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for ten thousand untimely mortalities per year in the city.