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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the capital showed an AQI over 500, which equals ten times the healthy threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, representing 15 to 20 times higher than safe standards.

Fireworks Ban and New Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the deadly smog that blankets the capital as winter approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the newly elected city leadership approached the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – previously questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and environment".

Legal Ruling and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health advocates, judges approved the appeal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the city, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital showed air quality peaking around midnight to extremely hazardous levels observed during Diwali in at least three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing declining pollution levels in Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the concentration of dangerous airborne contaminants in the environment has been documented to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the world's most polluted city.

Various Contamination Sources

The situation in the capital is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, generating toxic smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions causes increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely mortalities per year in the capital.