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On Tuesday morning citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement above 500, which represents 10x the healthy level recommended by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times higher than healthy limits.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Developments

For the past four years, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the deadly pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed local government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a modification of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and environment".

Court Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities agreed to the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the city showed pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to extremely hazardous readings recorded during celebrations in at least three years.

Regional Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from India following the events.

Persistent Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of pollution in the capital have remained as a serious problem for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During the festival period, the concentration of toxic particles in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the worst records ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the world's most polluted urban center.

Diverse Pollution Sources

The situation in the capital is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, construction activities, rubbish burning and smoke from farm burning in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, producing dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air descends.

Health and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to various investigations.

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

The pollution is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature mortalities annually in the city.