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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of the city registered an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times higher than healthy levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and New Changes

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the sale and use of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly haze that engulfs the city as winter approaches.

However recently, the newly elected city leadership petitioned the supreme court to seek a easing of the ban.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Legal Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health advocates, judges approved the appeal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Many recording stations throughout the capital showed air quality reaching highest levels around the night hours to the most severe levels seen during the festival in at least recent memory.

International Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a blame game with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from India following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a major problem for over a decade and a half, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around Diwali, the amount of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever measured in China's capital, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Diverse Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, development work, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing toxic haze that remains stagnant over the city as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is enormous, according to numerous studies.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can result in malignancies.

The pollution is calculated to be responsible for 10,000 early deaths per year in Delhi.