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As Tuesday dawned residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Extremely High Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the city recorded an air quality index over 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the healthy level established by the WHO.

Particular areas, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times higher than safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the deadly pollution that engulfs the city as winter sets in.

Yet recently, the newly elected local leadership petitioned the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, the court agreed to the proposal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable flouting of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Several recording stations throughout the city recorded air quality spiking around late evening to the most severe levels recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also initiated a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing declining atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants coming from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high levels of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the amount of toxic particulate matter in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to 70% higher the peak records ever documented in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the planet's dirtiest city.

Various Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to various studies.

The contaminated air leads to high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early fatalities per year in Delhi.