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As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that fell into the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Several parts of the capital recorded an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents 10x the recommended threshold set by the global health authority.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, equating to fifteen to twenty times higher than acceptable standards.

Firecracker Ban and New Changes

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season begins.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected regional administration approached the supreme court to request a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Court Decision and Enforcement

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judges approved the proposal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city registered contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous measurements observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also initiated a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles coming from across the border following the events.

Persistent Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in the capital have remained as a major problem for fifteen-plus years, with the problem showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been found to spike to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

This crisis in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, creating hazardous haze that becomes contained over the capital as winter air arrives.

Medical and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million residents living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can potentially cause malignancies.

The pollution is calculated to be causing ten thousand early mortalities per year in the city.