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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing severely hazardous air that fell into the "critical" category.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which represents ten times the recommended level set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe levels.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly haze that blankets the metropolis as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless recently, the newly elected city administration appealed to the highest court to propose a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Decision and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, the court complied with the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Many air quality sensors throughout Delhi showed pollution peaking around the night hours to extremely hazardous measurements recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to worsening pollution levels in Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of pollution in the city have remained as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

During celebratory seasons, the levels of toxic particles in the air has been observed to spike to 70% higher the worst readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a combination of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in adjacent areas of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing dangerous smog that becomes contained over the capital as colder air descends.

Medical and Economic Consequences

The economic and health impact on the nearly 33 million people calling home the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can result in malignancies.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k early deaths annually in Delhi.