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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling dangerously toxic air that registered in the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the capital registered an AQI over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that blankets the city as winter sets in.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected city administration appealed to the supreme court to propose a easing of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Decision and Implementation

Despite concerns of medical and ecological activists, judicial authorities agreed to the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during designated hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was considerable flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi showed air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst measurements seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from India following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Problem

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe records ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Contamination Factors

The problem in the city is attributed to a convergence of various sources including transportation pollution, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely burn crop residue to prepare for next season, generating dangerous pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air sets in.

Medical and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million residents calling home the capital region is substantial, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be accounting for 10,000 premature fatalities per year in the city.