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As Tuesday dawned residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of the capital showed an AQI over 500, which represents 10x the safe limit set by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, equating to 15-20x above safe limits.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had enforced a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the dangerous haze that blankets the metropolis as winter sets in.

However in recent months, the newly elected local leadership approached the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological campaigners, judges complied with the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific periods throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city recorded air quality peaking around the night hours to the most severe readings seen during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Consequences

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on pollutants originating in India following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of air contamination in the city have persisted as a serious challenge for over a decade and a half, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the peak levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted city.

Various Pollution Sources

This crisis in the capital is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, farmers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic toll on the approximately 33 million people living in the capital region is significant, according to various research.

The contaminated air causes increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can result in cancer.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be accounting for approximately 10k early fatalities per year in the city.