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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x higher than acceptable limits.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the hazardous pollution that covers the capital as winter approaches.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the current regional government appealed to the highest court to seek a easing of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of public health and environmental activists, the court approved the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Many recording stations throughout the capital recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to some of the worst levels recorded during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

Extensive ignition of fireworks during the festival also sparked a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants originating in across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

Extremely elevated levels of air contamination in the capital have remained as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the levels of toxic particles in the air has been observed to spike to 70% higher the worst readings ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Diverse Pollution Factors

The problem in Delhi is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, development work, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in nearby regions of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, generating toxic smog that becomes contained over the capital as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can result in oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be accounting for 10,000 premature fatalities annually in the capital.