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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the city showed an AQI exceeding 500, which translates to 10x the safe level recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, the government had implemented a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that covers the capital as colder weather sets in.

However in recent months, the recently formed regional administration petitioned the supreme court to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Court Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, the court agreed to the proposal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital registered pollution reaching highest levels around midnight to the most severe measurements recorded during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Implications

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating air quality in Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a major problem for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the peak levels ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is resulting from a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers regularly ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, producing hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Public Health and Financial Toll

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million residents residing in the capital region is enormous, according to various investigations.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be responsible for 10,000 untimely mortalities each year in Delhi.