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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Various sections of Delhi registered an pollution measurement over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy limit established by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, representing 15-20x exceeding safe limits.

Firecracker Restrictions and Current Policy Shifts

For the past four years, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of firecrackers during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed city administration approached the highest court to request a modification of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health advocates, judicial authorities approved the appeal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered air quality spiking around late evening to the most severe measurements seen during the festival in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also sparked a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around celebratory seasons, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe records ever recorded in China's capital, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted urban center.

Various Pollution Contributors

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in neighbouring states of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, creating dangerous pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air sets in.

Health and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is substantial, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for 10,000 untimely fatalities annually in Delhi.