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As Tuesday dawned residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents ten times the recommended threshold set by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles reached peaks of 1,800, representing fifteen to twenty times above healthy levels.

Firecracker Ban and New Developments

Since 2020, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that covers the capital as the cold season approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the current local government approached the judicial authority to propose a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously doubted by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

To the disappointment of medical and ecological activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific periods throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Many recording stations throughout the city showed contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst measurements observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the festival also triggered a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province pointing to deteriorating air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in across the border following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of pollution in the city have remained as a significant issue for over a decade and a half, with the situation showing no improvement.

During the festival period, the amount of dangerous particles in the environment has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was previously regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from agricultural fires in neighbouring regions of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as winter air descends.

Public Health and Financial Impact

The economic and health toll on the roughly thirty-three million people residing in the capital region is substantial, according to multiple research.

The contaminated air leads to increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

The pollution is calculated to be accounting for approximately 10k early deaths per year in the city.