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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" range.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the city registered an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold set by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to fifteen to twenty times above acceptable levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Developments

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that covers the capital as winter sets in.

However earlier this year, the newly elected local government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Decision and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities agreed to the appeal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the capital registered pollution spiking around the night hours to some of the worst readings observed during the festival in at least three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing worsening air quality in their urban centers on contaminants originating in across the border following the festivities.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have remained as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the levels of dangerous particles in the air has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the peak levels ever documented in China's capital, which was once viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in the city is resulting from a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Financial Toll

Public health and economic toll on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the Delhi area is significant, according to various investigations.

This pollution causes increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause cancer.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for ten thousand untimely deaths annually in the city.