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As Tuesday dawned residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "alarming" range.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the city showed an pollution measurement over 500, which represents 10x the safe limit set by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, equating to fifteen to twenty times higher than safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

For the past four years, officials had enforced a total prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that covers the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Yet recently, the newly elected city leadership petitioned the judicial authority to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically questioned by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental activists, the court complied with the appeal, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during limited periods throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout Delhi registered air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in the city have persisted as a serious challenge for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the levels of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to spike to 70% higher the worst readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The problem in the capital is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, creating toxic smog that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air arrives.

Medical and Economic Impact

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to numerous studies.

This pollution results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can result in oncological diseases.

The pollution is projected to be responsible for approximately 10k early fatalities each year in Delhi.