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On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the capital registered an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which translates to 10x the healthy level established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, amounting to 15-20x above safe standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Developments

For the past four years, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the sale and use of firecrackers during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly smog that engulfs the metropolis as winter approaches.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed city leadership petitioned the highest court to propose a modification of the ban.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a balance between "tradition and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological advocates, judges approved the proposal, mandating that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city registered contamination reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe readings seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a blame game with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on pollutants originating in across the border following the events.

Chronic Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in the capital have persisted as a major problem for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

During celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe records ever recorded in China's capital, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is resulting from a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating dangerous haze that remains stagnant over the city as colder air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million people calling home the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions causes high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can even lead to malignancies.

Environmental contamination is projected to be causing ten thousand early fatalities each year in Delhi.