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On Tuesday morning residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi showed an pollution measurement over 500, which equals ten times the healthy limit recommended by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, equating to 15-20x above acceptable limits.

Fireworks Ban and Current Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, officials had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the dangerous smog that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

However earlier this year, the recently formed regional government appealed to the supreme court to seek a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judges agreed to the request, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive violation of the designated hours across the city, with minimal regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city recorded pollution spiking around late evening to extremely hazardous readings recorded during the festival in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also initiated a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming declining air quality in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe records ever documented in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a combination of different contributors including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers regularly ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, generating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Health and Financial Toll

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing approximately 10k early fatalities each year in the capital.