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Tuesday brought citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the capital recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which represents 10x the safe threshold established by the WHO.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1,800, equating to fifteen to twenty times above healthy levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the dangerous haze that engulfs the city as winter begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current local administration petitioned the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities complied with the appeal, mandating that green firecrackers could be ignited during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Several air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded contamination spiking around the night hours to extremely hazardous levels seen during the festival in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on pollutants originating in neighboring India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Issue

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the amount of toxic particulate matter in the environment has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the capital is resulting from a mix of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers regularly set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing toxic haze that then gets trapped over the city as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million people living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous studies.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung disorders, and can even lead to malignancies.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be causing approximately 10k premature mortalities per year in Delhi.