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Tuesday brought residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Readings

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

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x exceeding healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the deadly smog that covers the city as colder weather approaches.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected local administration appealed to the judicial authority to request a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – historically questioned by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Legal Ruling and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, judges agreed to the appeal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific periods throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Several air quality sensors throughout the capital registered pollution spiking around midnight to the most severe levels observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also sparked a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province partly blaming worsening pollution levels in Lahore on pollutants coming from India following the events.

Persistent Pollution Issue

The dangerously high concentrations of air contamination in the capital have remained as a major challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the most severe records ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the planet's dirtiest city.

Various Pollution Factors

The situation in the city is caused by a mix of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, building projects, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Within these states, farmers regularly ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, producing dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the city as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million people living in the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can even lead to cancer.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be accounting for 10,000 premature fatalities per year in Delhi.