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On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of Delhi recorded an air quality index over 500, which equals ten times the healthy level established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x above safe limits.

Firecracker Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous pollution that blankets the metropolis as colder weather approaches.

However in recent months, the recently formed regional administration approached the highest court to propose a modification of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Legal Ruling and Reality

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological campaigners, judicial authorities complied with the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited periods throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital registered contamination peaking around midnight to some of the worst levels recorded during the festival in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles coming from India following the festivities.

Persistent Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated readings of pollution in Delhi have continued as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the amount of hazardous particulate matter in the environment has been observed to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever measured in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated city.

Multiple Pollution Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing hazardous smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Medical and Financial Toll

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million people living in the Delhi area is enormous, according to numerous investigations.

This pollution results in elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

Environmental contamination is projected to be causing ten thousand premature mortalities annually in the capital.