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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" range.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the city showed an AQI over 500, which translates to ten times the recommended level established by the WHO.

In some locations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x exceeding acceptable levels.

Firecracker Ban and Current Changes

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous pollution that covers the city as colder weather approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the current regional administration approached the judicial authority to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only about 30% less polluting – as a balance between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological activists, judges agreed to the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be set off during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Many recording stations throughout the capital registered contamination spiking around the night hours to some of the worst readings recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province partially attributing declining air quality in Lahore on pollutants originating in neighboring India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous particles in the air has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst records ever recorded in China's capital, which was once viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing hazardous haze that becomes contained over the city as colder air descends.

Medical and Financial Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

This pollution causes high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

The pollution is estimated to be causing ten thousand premature deaths per year in Delhi.