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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" level.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the capital showed an air quality index over 500, which translates to 10x the safe threshold set by the global health authority.

Particular areas, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous pollution that blankets the city as colder weather approaches.

Yet recently, the recently formed local government petitioned the supreme court to seek a easing of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, judges agreed to the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be set off during specific hours throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the city registered air quality spiking around midnight to some of the worst measurements observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Implications

Extensive ignition of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in Delhi have continued as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During the festival period, the levels of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the world's most polluted city.

Diverse Pollution Sources

The problem in the capital is resulting from a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in adjacent regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, generating dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the city as colder air sets in.

Medical and Financial Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the roughly thirty-three million residents residing in the capital region is substantial, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air leads to high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is calculated to be causing ten thousand early deaths each year in the city.