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On Tuesday morning residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" range.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which equals 10x the safe threshold set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of eighteen hundred, equating to 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable limits.

Firecracker Prohibition and Current Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during celebrations due to their major role to the dangerous smog that engulfs the capital as the cold season begins.

However in recent months, the newly elected local leadership appealed to the highest court to seek a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, judges complied with the appeal, mandating that green firecrackers could be set off during specific time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Numerous recording stations throughout the city showed pollution spiking around the night hours to the most severe measurements observed during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The proliferation of firecrackers during the festival also triggered a blame game with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab province partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on hazardous particles coming from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of pollution in the city have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near the festival period, the amount of dangerous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the peak levels ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Pollution Sources

The situation in the capital is attributed to a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and smoke from farm burning in nearby regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as winter air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Toll

Public health and economic consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air causes elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is projected to be responsible for ten thousand early mortalities annually in Delhi.