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On Tuesday morning residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" level.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the city recorded an air quality index above 500, which translates to 10x the recommended limit established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, equating to 15-20x exceeding healthy limits.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, officials had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that covers the capital as the cold season approaches.

However earlier this year, the newly elected city administration appealed to the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Court Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of environmental and health campaigners, judges complied with the request, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during specific time windows throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was considerable violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Many air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded contamination reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe measurements observed during celebrations in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to declining atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants originating in India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high levels of air contamination in the capital have continued as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the concentration of toxic particulate matter in the air has been documented to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Contamination Sources

The problem in the city is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and haze from farm burning in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers routinely ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Medical and Economic Toll

The economic and health toll on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to numerous studies.

These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing approximately 10k early deaths per year in the city.