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On Tuesday morning residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "alarming" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Various sections of the capital recorded an AQI above 500, which equals 10x the recommended threshold established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than 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 major role to the dangerous haze that covers the capital as winter approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the recently formed local leadership petitioned the judicial authority to request a easing of the ban.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Decision and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities approved the appeal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated periods throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered pollution peaking around midnight to the most severe readings recorded during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during the celebrations also initiated a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing worsening pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from India following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Various Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the capital is caused by a combination of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, building projects, rubbish burning and smoke from agricultural fires in adjacent states of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, creating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million residents calling home the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be responsible for ten thousand untimely mortalities annually in the capital.