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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement over 500, which equals 10x the safe level recommended by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x higher than safe levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Developments

For the past four years, officials had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly smog that covers the city as colder weather approaches.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the current regional government petitioned the judicial authority to request a easing of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically questioned by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court complied with the proposal, mandating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city registered air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe readings observed during the festival in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on contaminants coming from India following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Issue

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous particles in the environment has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Diverse Pollution Sources

This crisis in the city is caused by a combination of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from agricultural fires in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, creating toxic haze that becomes contained over the capital as cooler air descends.

Health and Economic Toll

The economic and health impact on the nearly 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions causes high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Air quality crisis is projected to be causing 10,000 untimely mortalities annually in the capital.