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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that fell into the "alarming" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which equals 10x the safe threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times exceeding safe limits.

Firecracker Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected local leadership appealed to the highest court to request a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Legal Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health advocates, the court agreed to the proposal, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi recorded contamination peaking around late evening to the most severe levels observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating air quality in Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the events.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in Delhi have remained as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the levels of toxic particles in the environment has been documented to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever measured in Beijing, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in the capital is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers regularly ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing toxic pollution that becomes contained over the city as winter air descends.

Medical and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can result in malignancies.

The pollution is calculated to be causing 10,000 untimely deaths annually in Delhi.