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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of the capital registered an AQI above 500, which translates to ten times the healthy level established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than healthy standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the metropolis as colder weather begins.

However recently, the newly elected city leadership appealed to the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, the court agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during specific time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered contamination peaking around late evening to the most severe readings recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory.

International Consequences

Extensive ignition of fireworks during Diwali also triggered a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Chronic Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in the city have remained as a significant issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe levels ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Various Contamination Contributors

The situation in the city is caused by a convergence of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of farming communities.

In these regions, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating toxic haze that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million people residing in the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air results in elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be responsible for ten thousand untimely fatalities each year in the city.