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Tuesday brought inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "alarming" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the city recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which equals ten times the safe level set by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, amounting to 15-20x higher than acceptable levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly smog that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

However recently, the current local leadership petitioned the judicial authority to seek a easing of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% less polluting – as a compromise between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Decision and Enforcement

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, the court agreed to the request, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi registered air quality reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous readings observed during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

The proliferation of firecrackers during the festival also sparked a controversy with neighbouring Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on pollutants coming from India following the festivities.

Persistent Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Near celebratory seasons, the amount of toxic particulate matter in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Diverse Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is caused by a convergence of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Medical and Financial Impact

The economic and health impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions causes elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be causing ten thousand early mortalities per year in the capital.