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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing extremely polluted air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the capital registered an AQI over 500, which equals 10x the safe threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, equating to 15-20x higher than acceptable limits.

Firecracker Prohibition and Current Developments

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous pollution that covers the capital as the cold season begins.

However recently, the current local government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited hours throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the capital, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Several monitoring devices throughout the city showed air quality peaking around late evening to the most severe levels recorded during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the levels of toxic particles in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe readings ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Various Pollution Factors

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic impact on the roughly thirty-three million residents calling home the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air causes increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can result in oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be accounting for 10,000 premature deaths each year in Delhi.