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Tuesday brought citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" category.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of Delhi showed an AQI above 500, which represents 10x the safe limit established by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times above safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and New Changes

For the past four years, officials had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that blankets the city as the cold season begins.

Yet earlier this year, the recently formed city leadership approached the supreme court to request a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been questioned by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of medical and ecological activists, judicial authorities complied with the request, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during specific hours throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with little regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around late evening to some of the worst readings seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab pointing to deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles coming from neighboring India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in the capital have remained as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the concentration of toxic particles in the environment has been observed to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst readings ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing hazardous smog that then gets trapped over the city as colder air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Toll

Public health and economic impact on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air results in high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is projected to be causing 10,000 premature mortalities annually in the city.