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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered inhaling severely hazardous air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Readings

Multiple areas of the city registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the healthy threshold established by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Current Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a complete ban on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their major role to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

However in recent months, the newly elected local administration approached the highest court to request a modification of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Legal Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during specific time windows throughout the festival.

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

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital showed pollution peaking around the night hours to some of the worst levels seen during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming deteriorating air quality in Lahore on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Issue

Extremely elevated readings of air contamination in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particles in the environment has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The problem in the capital is resulting from a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in nearby states of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing toxic smog that remains stagnant over the capital as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the approximately 33 million residents residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing approximately 10k untimely deaths annually in the capital.