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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "alarming" category.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the city showed an AQI over 500, which represents 10x the healthy level set by the WHO.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1800, equating to 15-20x exceeding safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Current Changes

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

However in recent months, the current regional government petitioned the judicial authority to request a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "heritage and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Enforcement

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Many recording stations throughout Delhi showed air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous readings observed during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the events.

Chronic Environmental Issue

The dangerously high levels of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Diverse Pollution Sources

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing toxic pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air descends.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the roughly thirty-three million residents calling home the capital region is enormous, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be causing ten thousand early mortalities per year in the city.