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Tuesday brought residents of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Readings

Various sections of the city registered an AQI exceeding 500, which equals 10x the safe level recommended by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous smog that blankets the metropolis as colder weather sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the newly elected regional government appealed to the highest court to request a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and environment".

Court Verdict and Implementation

To the disappointment of medical and ecological campaigners, the court complied with the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable flouting of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many recording stations throughout the city showed pollution peaking around late evening to the most severe readings seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the festival also initiated a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles traveling from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of pollution in the capital have continued as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the air has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the most severe records ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The situation in the city is resulting from a convergence of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, building projects, waste incineration and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to prepare for next season, creating hazardous pollution that then gets trapped over the city as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health consequences on the roughly thirty-three million people living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution causes elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be accounting for approximately 10k untimely deaths annually in the city.