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

Record-Breaking Pollution Levels

Various sections of the city registered an pollution measurement over 500, which equals 10x the recommended level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, readings of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1,800, representing 15-20x exceeding acceptable limits.

Firecracker Ban and Current Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the deadly pollution that covers the capital as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current local administration appealed to the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judges approved the request, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during limited hours throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the designated hours across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Many air quality sensors throughout Delhi showed air quality peaking around late evening to the most severe measurements recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the events.

Chronic Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated concentrations of pollution in Delhi have remained as a major problem for fifteen-plus years, with the condition showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the levels of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the worst readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Contamination Factors

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, dust, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents regularly set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing hazardous smog that becomes contained over the capital as colder air sets in.

Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million people living in the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing 10,000 premature deaths per year in the city.