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Tuesday brought residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that registered in the "critical" category.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi showed an air quality index above 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the safe level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, amounting to 15 to 20 times exceeding acceptable standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had implemented a total prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that engulfs the capital as the cold season approaches.

However earlier this year, the recently formed local leadership approached the supreme court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Court Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities complied with the request, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during specific periods throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was extensive flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi registered air quality spiking around midnight to some of the worst levels seen during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also triggered a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the events.

Persistent Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated readings of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a serious challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around celebratory seasons, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the environment has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted city.

Various Pollution Factors

This crisis in Delhi is resulting from a combination of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

In these regions, agricultural workers routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous smog that becomes contained over the capital as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic toll on the roughly thirty-three million people calling home the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air causes increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be accounting for approximately 10k premature fatalities per year in the city.