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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to extremely polluted air that registered in the "critical" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an AQI exceeding 500, which equals ten times the healthy threshold established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times above healthy limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Developments

Beginning in 2020, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the deadly pollution that covers the capital as colder weather sets in.

Yet in recent months, the current city government approached the supreme court to request a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "heritage and public health".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court approved the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be set off during specific time windows throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable flouting of the regulated periods across the city, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst readings seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to declining pollution levels in Lahore on contaminants coming from neighboring India following the festivities.

Chronic Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have remained as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During celebratory seasons, the amount of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been observed to spike to 70% higher the worst readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously considered as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a convergence of various sources including automobile exhaust, construction debris, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in neighbouring regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, farmers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing dangerous pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Medical and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the roughly thirty-three million people calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

This pollution leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be accounting for approximately 10k untimely fatalities each year in Delhi.