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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Several parts of the city registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable standards.

Firecracker Ban and Current Changes

For the past four years, officials had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the hazardous smog that engulfs the city as winter sets in.

Yet recently, the current local leadership approached the supreme court to seek a modification of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Decision and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, the court complied with the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during limited periods throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the city registered air quality peaking around the night hours to some of the worst levels recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also sparked a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to worsening pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from across the border following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a major challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

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

Diverse Contamination Factors

The problem in Delhi is resulting from a convergence of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the city as colder air sets in.

Medical and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for approximately 10k early mortalities annually in the capital.