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Tuesday brought citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that fell into the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents ten times the healthy level established by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x exceeding healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, the government had enforced a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the hazardous pollution that engulfs the capital as the cold season begins.

However earlier this year, the recently formed regional leadership petitioned the judicial authority to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Decision and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, the court approved the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the city, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered pollution peaking around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on contaminants originating in India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

The dangerously high readings of pollution in the city have continued as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the concentration of toxic particulate matter in the air has been observed to spike to seventy percent above the worst records ever measured in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in the capital is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of farming communities.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the city as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants residing in the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to various research.

The contaminated air results in increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Air quality crisis is projected to be accounting for 10,000 untimely deaths per year in the capital.