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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to ten times the safe threshold established by the global health authority.

In some locations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x above acceptable standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

Since 2020, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that covers the capital as the cold season begins.

Yet recently, the newly elected city government appealed to the supreme court to request a modification of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, the court agreed to the appeal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific periods throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several air quality sensors throughout Delhi registered contamination peaking around late evening to extremely hazardous readings observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Implications

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining pollution levels in Lahore on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the festivities.

Persistent Environmental Problem

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The situation in the capital is resulting from a mix of different contributors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, rubbish burning and pollutants from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to prepare for next season, creating dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as winter air descends.

Public Health and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to numerous research.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and lung disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be accounting for ten thousand untimely deaths per year in Delhi.