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Tuesday brought residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the capital registered an air quality index above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold set by the global health authority.

In some locations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times higher than safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Developments

For the past four years, the government had enforced a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that blankets the metropolis as winter begins.

Yet recently, the current regional leadership appealed to the supreme court to seek a easing of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "heritage and ecological concerns".

Court Decision and Enforcement

Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judges approved the proposal, specifying that green firecrackers could be set off during designated time windows throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was extensive flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Several air quality sensors throughout the capital showed pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst measurements seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

The proliferation of firecrackers during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant problem for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

During Diwali, the amount of toxic particles in the air has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the city is resulting from a mix of different contributors including transportation pollution, dust, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

In these regions, agricultural workers regularly burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, generating hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air sets in.

Health and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million residents living in the capital region is enormous, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for 10,000 premature deaths each year in the city.