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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of Delhi showed an AQI above 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times above acceptable standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Current Developments

For the past four years, officials had maintained a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as winter begins.

Yet recently, the current city government appealed to the highest court to seek a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital recorded pollution peaking around midnight to extremely hazardous readings seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing deteriorating air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the events.

Persistent Environmental Crisis

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a serious issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the amount of dangerous airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated city.

Various Pollution Factors

The situation in the capital is resulting from a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives.

Medical and Financial Toll

The economic and health consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is significant, according to various studies.

This pollution leads to high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be accounting for approximately 10k premature deaths annually in the capital.