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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Multiple areas of Delhi recorded an air quality index exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the recommended limit established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, equating to 15-20x higher than safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and New Policy Shifts

For the past four years, officials had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the dangerous smog that engulfs the city as colder weather sets in.

However earlier this year, the newly elected local administration appealed to the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental campaigners, judges complied with the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be used during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the capital recorded contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to the most severe levels recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the festival also triggered a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Near the festival period, the amount of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to seventy percent above the most severe readings ever documented in Beijing, which was previously considered as the world's most polluted city.

Various Pollution Contributors

The situation in the city is caused by a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, rubbish burning and smoke from farm burning in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing toxic pollution that becomes contained over the capital as winter air sets in.

Health and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical toll on the approximately 33 million people calling home the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to numerous studies.

This pollution results in increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

The pollution is projected to be causing ten thousand early fatalities each year in Delhi.