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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of the capital registered an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy limit established by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times higher than safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Developments

For the past four years, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that engulfs the city as colder weather sets in.

However recently, the current city government appealed to the highest court to seek a easing of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Court Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental advocates, judges complied with the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited periods throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to some of the worst levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

International Implications

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to declining pollution levels in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in the city have persisted as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the air has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously regarded as the world's most polluted urban center.

Diverse Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, waste incineration and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating hazardous haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous studies.

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

The pollution is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand early mortalities each year in Delhi.