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On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to ten times the safe threshold set by the WHO.

In some locations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times above safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the dangerous smog that covers the capital as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected city leadership approached the highest court to request a modification of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Judicial Decision and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, the court complied with the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded contamination peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants coming from neighboring India following the events.

Persistent Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have persisted as a significant problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the peak readings ever documented in China's capital, which was previously regarded as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Various Contamination Contributors

The problem in Delhi is caused by a convergence of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, waste incineration and haze from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, generating dangerous haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air sets in.

Health and Economic Impact

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is enormous, according to numerous studies.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to malignancies.

The pollution is projected to be causing approximately 10k early deaths per year in the capital.