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On Tuesday morning residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Readings

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy threshold recommended by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times above acceptable limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, the government had maintained a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that engulfs the metropolis as winter approaches.

However recently, the newly elected regional leadership appealed to the judicial authority to request a easing of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of public health and environmental campaigners, judges complied with the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during specific time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the city, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city registered air quality peaking around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing declining air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles traveling from India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high levels of air contamination in the capital have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the condition showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the worst readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted urban center.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a mix of various sources including transportation pollution, dust, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby regions of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating hazardous smog that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air sets in.

Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can result in malignancies.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing approximately 10k premature deaths each year in the city.