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As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Various sections of Delhi showed an air quality index above 500, which represents ten times the healthy level recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Developments

For the past four years, the government had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that blankets the capital as winter sets in.

Yet recently, the current local administration appealed to the judicial authority to request a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, the court approved the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital registered pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst levels recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on pollutants traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a major issue for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe records ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted city.

Various Contamination Factors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, generating dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical toll on the approximately 33 million people calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous research.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can potentially cause cancer.

Environmental contamination is projected to be accounting for ten thousand early fatalities each year in the city.