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On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Several parts of the city showed an air quality index above 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the safe level established by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, amounting to 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Policy Shifts

Since 2020, the government had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that engulfs the capital as the cold season begins.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed regional administration approached the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Court Decision and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court complied with the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Several monitoring devices throughout the city registered contamination peaking around late evening to some of the worst levels observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also triggered a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on pollutants originating in across the border following the events.

Persistent Environmental Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in the city have persisted as a major challenge for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During Diwali, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been found to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in the city is caused by a convergence of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing hazardous pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing 10,000 early fatalities each year in the capital.