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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Several parts of the city registered an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which equals 10x the healthy threshold set by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than safe standards.

Firecracker Restrictions and Current Developments

For the past four years, officials had implemented a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the city as colder weather approaches.

However recently, the newly elected city government approached the judicial authority to request a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of environmental and health advocates, judges complied with the appeal, mandating that green firecrackers could be used during specific time windows throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city registered pollution reaching highest levels around the night hours to the most severe levels seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing declining air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of pollution in Delhi have continued as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The situation in the city is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in adjacent states of farming communities.

In these regions, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Economic Toll

Public health and economic impact on the roughly thirty-three million people residing in the capital region is substantial, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions causes elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be causing 10,000 premature mortalities each year in the capital.