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As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an air quality index above 500, which equals 10x the recommended limit recommended by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Developments

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the deadly haze that covers the capital as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current local government approached the supreme court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% less polluting – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Court Decision and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, the court approved the proposal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city showed pollution reaching highest levels around the night hours to some of the worst levels recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory.

International Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also sparked a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated concentrations of pollution in the capital have remained as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been found to spike to seventy percent above the worst readings ever measured in Beijing, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Contamination Sources

This crisis in Delhi is attributed to a mix of various sources including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in nearby regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, rural residents regularly burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, generating hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Medical and Financial Impact

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple research.

This pollution results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can even lead to cancer.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be responsible for 10,000 untimely fatalities annually in the capital.