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Tuesday brought inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of Delhi showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than healthy levels.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their major role to the hazardous pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

However earlier this year, the recently formed local government petitioned the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities approved the request, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded air quality spiking around late evening to some of the worst readings seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in Lahore on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Chronic Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous particles in the air has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Pollution Factors

This crisis in Delhi is resulting from a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in adjacent regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the city as winter air descends.

Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health impact on the approximately 33 million people calling home the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to various investigations.

The contaminated air results in high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to malignancies.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for 10,000 early deaths annually in the city.