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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "severe" level.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the city recorded an AQI over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of eighteen hundred, equating to 15 to 20 times higher than healthy levels.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their major role to the dangerous smog that covers the capital as colder weather begins.

Yet in recent months, the current city administration petitioned the highest court to propose a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental activists, judges agreed to the appeal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the city, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the capital recorded pollution peaking around late evening to some of the worst measurements seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also initiated a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing worsening air quality in their urban centers on pollutants coming from India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of pollution in Delhi have remained as a serious challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe levels ever documented in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Various Contamination Factors

The situation in the capital is caused by a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and haze from farm burning in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to prepare for next season, producing dangerous haze that then gets trapped over the city as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the capital region is significant, according to multiple studies.

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

Environmental contamination is calculated to be causing ten thousand premature fatalities annually in the capital.