🔗 Share this article

As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered exposed to dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" level.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Various sections of Delhi registered an AQI over 500, which represents ten times the recommended level set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable levels.

Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the deadly smog that engulfs the capital as winter begins.

Nevertheless recently, the recently formed city administration petitioned the highest court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – historically questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Court Verdict and Enforcement

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

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the city showed air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst measurements recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Effects

Extensive ignition of fireworks during the festival also initiated a controversy with bordering the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing declining atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles coming from neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Crisis

Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have continued as a major problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near the festival period, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the air has been documented to shoot up to 70% higher the peak records ever documented in Beijing, which was once regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Multiple Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and smoke from agricultural fires in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers regularly burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the capital as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the roughly thirty-three million residents living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung disorders, and can result in oncological diseases.

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