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On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" range.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement above 500, which translates to 10x the safe level established by the WHO.

In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, equating to 15-20x higher than safe levels.

Fireworks Ban and Current Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during Diwali due to their major role to the dangerous smog that covers the metropolis as winter approaches.

Nevertheless recently, the current local administration approached the judicial authority to propose a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Verdict and Reality

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during specific time windows throughout the festival.

During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the city, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Many recording stations throughout the city recorded air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's Punjab pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in Lahore on hazardous particles coming from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe levels of pollution in Delhi have remained as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The problem in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including transportation pollution, dust, development work, rubbish burning and smoke from farm burning in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely burn crop residue to prepare for next season, generating hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic impact on the roughly thirty-three million people calling home the capital region is enormous, according to various investigations.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can result in cancer.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be accounting for ten thousand untimely deaths per year in the city.