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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Various sections of Delhi showed an pollution measurement above 500, which equals 10x the recommended limit established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, amounting to 15-20x higher than healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that blankets the capital as the cold season approaches.

However earlier this year, the recently formed local administration petitioned the judicial authority to seek a easing of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Decision and Implementation

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities approved the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable violation of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi showed pollution reaching highest levels around midnight to extremely hazardous readings recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also triggered a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

During Diwali, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the worst levels ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly viewed as the world's most polluted city.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, farmers regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air descends.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to various investigations.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for ten thousand untimely fatalities per year in the capital.