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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Alarming Pollution Readings

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.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1,800, representing 15-20x exceeding safe levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that blankets the capital as colder weather begins.

However earlier this year, the current regional administration appealed to the supreme court to request a easing of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically questioned by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Judicial Decision and Implementation

Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, the court agreed to the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited hours throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the city, with little enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi registered air quality peaking around the night hours to some of the worst levels seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming worsening air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of pollution in the city have remained as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During celebratory seasons, the amount of dangerous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was once regarded as the world's most polluted city.

Various Pollution Sources

The problem in the city is resulting from a mix of various sources including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, rubbish burning and smoke from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of farming communities.

In these regions, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing toxic haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air sets in.

Health and Economic Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the roughly thirty-three million people living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple investigations.

The contaminated air leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k untimely fatalities each year in Delhi.