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Tuesday brought citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "critical" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Readings

Various sections of Delhi showed an pollution measurement above 500, which represents ten times the safe threshold set by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x exceeding safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Current Changes

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the sale and use of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that covers the metropolis as the cold season approaches.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected regional leadership petitioned the judicial authority to seek a modification of the ban.

They proposed allowing "green crackers" – which have been criticized by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Decision and Implementation

Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, judges approved the appeal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was widespread disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi registered contamination peaking around late evening to extremely hazardous readings observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

Extensive ignition of fireworks during Diwali also initiated a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing worsening air quality in Lahore on pollutants coming from India following the events.

Persistent Environmental Problem

The dangerously high concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the levels of dangerous airborne contaminants in the environment has been documented to spike to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever documented in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the world's most polluted city.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The problem in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, creating toxic smog that then gets trapped over the city as colder air sets in.

Medical and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is substantial, according to multiple research.

This pollution leads to high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is projected to be responsible for ten thousand early deaths annually in the capital.