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On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Several parts of the city recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which translates to 10x the safe level established by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than healthy levels.

Firecracker Prohibition and New Developments

For the past four years, officials had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly smog that blankets the city as the cold season approaches.

However in recent months, the current local leadership petitioned the supreme court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Enforcement

To the disappointment of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities approved the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during specific periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was widespread flouting of the designated hours across the city, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout the capital showed contamination reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst readings seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during the celebrations also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing declining atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Crisis

Alarmingly severe levels of pollution in the city have continued as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous particles in the environment has been observed to shoot up to 70% higher the most severe records ever documented in China's capital, which was once considered as the world's most polluted urban center.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

The situation in Delhi is caused by a combination of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, farmers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives.

Medical and Financial Consequences

The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the metropolitan zone is significant, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be causing ten thousand premature deaths each year in the capital.