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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "alarming" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Measurements

Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI exceeding 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended level set by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, levels of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x higher than healthy levels.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Changes

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the dangerous haze that engulfs the capital as the cold season sets in.

Yet earlier this year, the recently formed regional leadership approached the supreme court to seek a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health campaigners, judges complied with the request, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

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

Many recording stations throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to extremely hazardous levels seen during the festival in at least three years.

International Implications

Extensive ignition of fireworks during the festival also sparked a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing declining atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe levels of pollution in the city have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the condition showing no improvement.

During celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst records ever recorded in Beijing, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in adjacent regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, farmers routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, generating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air arrives.

Medical and Financial Impact

Public health and economic consequences on the roughly thirty-three million residents residing in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution leads to high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to malignancies.

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