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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Various sections of the city showed an AQI above 500, which translates to ten times the recommended level recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than safe levels.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, the government had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that engulfs the capital as winter sets in.

However in recent months, the current city leadership appealed to the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Legal Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated periods throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the regulated periods across the capital, with little regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital registered contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous levels observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

International Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to worsening air quality in Lahore on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the events.

Chronic Environmental Crisis

Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in the city have remained as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the problem showing no improvement.

During celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous particles in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was previously considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is caused by a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and haze from agricultural fires in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing toxic haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Public health and economic toll on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is enormous, according to various studies.

These hazardous conditions causes increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand early fatalities each year in Delhi.