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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" range.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an AQI over 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, representing 15-20x higher than acceptable levels.

Firecracker Prohibition and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the dangerous smog that blankets the capital as winter sets in.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed city leadership approached the supreme court to request a modification of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Court Decision and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during designated periods throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with minimal regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded pollution spiking around midnight to the most severe measurements observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Consequences

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Environmental Crisis

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in the city have persisted as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around the festival period, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the environment has been observed to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The problem in Delhi is caused by a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring regions of farming communities.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the city as colder air sets in.

Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health consequences on the roughly thirty-three million people residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and lung disorders, and can even lead to cancer.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be accounting for ten thousand untimely fatalities annually in the capital.