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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" category.

Alarming Air Quality Readings

Several parts of the capital showed an pollution measurement over 500, which equals ten times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1,800, equating to fifteen to twenty times above safe levels.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and New Changes

Since 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the hazardous pollution that covers the capital as winter approaches.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected city government petitioned the highest court to propose a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and environment".

Court Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of medical and ecological campaigners, the court complied with the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during limited periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Several air quality sensors throughout the capital registered contamination spiking around midnight to some of the worst readings observed during celebrations in at least three years.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to declining air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in Delhi have remained as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Near Diwali, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been observed to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst records ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing dangerous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air descends.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million people living in the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for approximately 10k premature deaths each year in the capital.