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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an AQI over 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended limit established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times exceeding safe limits.

Fireworks Ban and New Developments

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous smog that blankets the metropolis as winter begins.

However in recent months, the recently formed city leadership petitioned the highest court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Ruling and Implementation

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judges approved the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited periods throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city recorded pollution peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings seen during the festival in at least recent memory.

International Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also initiated a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants originating in India following the events.

Chronic Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

Near Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particles in the air has been found to spike to 70% higher the most severe records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is caused by a mix of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, agricultural workers routinely burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, generating toxic haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air descends.

Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health impact on the approximately 33 million people calling home the capital region is enormous, according to multiple research.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k early deaths per year in the city.