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On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered breathing extremely polluted air that registered in the "alarming" category.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Several parts of Delhi showed an AQI above 500, which equals 10x the healthy threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of eighteen hundred, representing 15-20x higher than healthy standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Changes

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the dangerous haze that blankets the capital as the cold season sets in.

However earlier this year, the recently formed regional leadership petitioned the judicial authority to request a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Court Decision and Enforcement

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city showed air quality spiking around the night hours to extremely hazardous measurements seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also initiated a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Issue

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a serious problem for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to spike to 70% higher the most severe records ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously considered as the world's most polluted urban center.

Diverse Pollution Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a mix of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, creating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air arrives.

Health and Economic Toll

Public health and economic impact on the roughly thirty-three million residents calling home the capital region is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can result in oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely deaths each year in Delhi.