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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the healthy threshold recommended by the global health authority.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1,800, equating to fifteen to twenty times above acceptable limits.

Firecracker Prohibition and New Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the city as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected local government petitioned the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities agreed to the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be used during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Many recording stations throughout Delhi registered pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe levels recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Persistent Environmental Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have remained as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Multiple Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating hazardous pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Financial Impact

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air causes high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing diseases, and can result in cancer.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be causing 10,000 premature deaths each year in the city.