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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of the city recorded an AQI above 500, which represents 10x the recommended level set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles soared to of eighteen hundred, representing 15 to 20 times exceeding safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Changes

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly haze that blankets the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed city leadership petitioned the highest court to seek a easing of the ban.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Implementation

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, the court complied with the proposal, mandating that green firecrackers could be used during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was extensive flouting of the regulated periods across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Numerous recording stations throughout Delhi showed pollution reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous readings recorded during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to worsening pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of air contamination in the city have persisted as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the levels of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Various Contamination Contributors

The situation in Delhi is caused by a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Health and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million residents living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to numerous research.

This pollution leads to high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can result in cancer.

Environmental contamination is projected to be responsible for 10,000 premature fatalities annually in the capital.