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As Tuesday dawned citizens of the world's most polluted city found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the "critical" category.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the capital showed an pollution measurement over 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the recommended limit established by the global health authority.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than acceptable limits.

Fireworks Ban and Current Developments

For the past four years, officials had implemented a total prohibition on the sale and use of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly haze that blankets the capital as colder weather sets in.

However earlier this year, the recently formed local administration appealed to the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously doubted by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a balance between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities approved the proposal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during specific hours throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was widespread flouting of the time restrictions across the city, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Several air quality sensors throughout Delhi showed pollution peaking around late evening to some of the worst measurements observed during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also sparked a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing declining pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

The dangerously high levels of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have continued as a significant challenge for over a decade and a half, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the levels of hazardous particles in the air has been found to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever documented in China's capital, which was once considered as the world's most polluted city.

Multiple Pollution Factors

This crisis in the capital is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing hazardous haze that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants calling home the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to various studies.

These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to cancer.

Air quality crisis is projected to be accounting for ten thousand early deaths each year in the capital.