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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI above 500, which equals 10x the safe threshold set by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of eighteen hundred, representing 15-20x exceeding healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and New Developments

For the past four years, the government had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that covers the metropolis as winter approaches.

However in recent months, the recently formed regional leadership approached the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and environment".

Legal Verdict and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, the court complied with the appeal, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific periods throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Many air quality sensors throughout the capital showed contamination spiking around midnight to the most severe levels observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on pollutants originating in neighboring India following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in the capital have persisted as a significant challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around Diwali, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, creating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Medical and Financial Toll

The economic and health impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is enormous, according to multiple research.

This pollution causes increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can result in oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early fatalities per year in the city.