🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Levels

Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which equals 10x the healthy level established by the global health authority.

In some locations, readings of toxic particulate matter hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x higher than acceptable standards.

Fireworks Restrictions and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that engulfs the capital as colder weather approaches.

However recently, the recently formed local government petitioned the highest court to request a relaxation of the prohibition.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Legal Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, the court complied with the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was widespread flouting of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the city registered air quality spiking around the night hours to the most severe levels recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Implications

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also triggered a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing worsening atmospheric conditions in the city of Lahore on pollutants traveling from neighboring India following the events.

Persistent Environmental Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have continued as a significant problem for over a decade and a half, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the concentration of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the worst records ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Diverse Pollution Contributors

The situation in the capital is resulting from a mix of multiple factors including transportation pollution, airborne particles, construction activities, waste incineration and smoke from farm burning in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, generating dangerous haze that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as colder air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to various research.

The contaminated air results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can even lead to malignancies.

The pollution is estimated to be causing ten thousand early fatalities each year in the capital.