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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Several parts of the capital registered an pollution measurement above 500, which equals ten times the recommended threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x higher than acceptable standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Developments

For the past four years, officials had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the dangerous pollution that covers the city as colder weather begins.

However recently, the current city government appealed to the highest court to seek a easing of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Implementation

Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, judges complied with the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated hours throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the time restrictions across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi showed pollution spiking around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the festivities.

Persistent Environmental Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have persisted as a significant problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to spike to seventy percent above the worst records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Various Contamination Sources

This crisis in Delhi is attributed to a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in nearby regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Toll

The economic and health consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is enormous, according to various investigations.

These hazardous conditions causes high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and lung disorders, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is projected to be responsible for ten thousand untimely fatalities annually in Delhi.