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As Tuesday dawned residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered breathing severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" range.

Alarming Pollution Measurements

Various sections of the capital showed an air quality index above 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold set by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, amounting to 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable standards.

Firecracker Ban and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a complete ban on the sale and use of firecrackers during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly smog that blankets the city as winter sets in.

Nevertheless recently, the current regional administration appealed to the highest court to propose a modification of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Legal Ruling and Enforcement

To the disappointment of public health and environmental activists, judges approved the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was considerable flouting of the designated hours across the capital, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many monitoring devices throughout the city recorded pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous levels seen during the festival in at least recent memory.

International Effects

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during Diwali also sparked a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming worsening pollution levels in Lahore on contaminants coming from India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe readings of air contamination in the city have continued as a serious issue for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

Around celebratory seasons, the amount of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to shoot up to 70% higher the worst levels ever measured in Beijing, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Various Pollution Factors

This crisis in the capital is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous haze that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air sets in.

Medical and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical consequences on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air results in increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be responsible for approximately 10k premature fatalities each year in Delhi.