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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered exposed to severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Several parts of Delhi recorded an air quality index exceeding 500, which represents 10x the safe limit established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1,800, representing 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Developments

For the past four years, the government had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that covers the metropolis as colder weather approaches.

However earlier this year, the current regional leadership appealed to the judicial authority to seek a easing of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health".

Court Decision and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, the court complied with the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

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

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the capital registered contamination spiking around late evening to the most severe measurements seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab province pointing to worsening atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated readings of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a significant issue for fifteen-plus years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the peak records ever documented in China's capital, which was once viewed as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Both financial and medical toll on the approximately 33 million people residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be accounting for 10,000 early fatalities each year in Delhi.