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Tuesday brought citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI over 500, which represents ten times the healthy limit set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1,800, equating to 15 to 20 times above safe limits.

Firecracker Ban and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, authorities had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as colder weather sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the current local government appealed to the judicial authority to request a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and public health".

Court Decision and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, the court agreed to the request, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited hours throughout the celebrations.

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

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous levels observed during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the festival also sparked a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on hazardous particles traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a significant challenge for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the air has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever documented in Beijing, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is caused by a combination of multiple factors including transportation pollution, construction debris, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from crop residue ignition in neighbouring areas of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, generating toxic smog that then gets trapped over the capital as winter air arrives.

Health and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous research.

This pollution leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k untimely deaths each year in the capital.