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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling dangerously toxic air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Various sections of Delhi showed an air quality index above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1,800, equating to 15 to 20 times above safe levels.

Firecracker Restrictions and Recent Developments

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the city as winter approaches.

Yet in recent months, the current regional administration approached the highest court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically questioned by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Decision and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judges approved the proposal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was extensive flouting of the time restrictions across the city, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the city showed pollution spiking around the night hours to some of the worst measurements seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also sparked a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from India following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a significant problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Near Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the peak records ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously regarded as the world's most polluted urban center.

Diverse Contamination Factors

The problem in Delhi is caused by a mix of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating hazardous pollution that becomes contained over the city as winter air descends.

Medical and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is substantial, according to various studies.

The contaminated air causes elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Air quality crisis is projected to be causing approximately 10k untimely mortalities per year in the city.