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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the capital recorded an air quality index above 500, which translates to ten times the healthy level set by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15 to 20 times above acceptable limits.

Fireworks Ban and New Changes

For the past four years, officials had implemented a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that engulfs the city as the cold season begins.

However earlier this year, the newly elected local administration appealed to the highest court to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a compromise between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Decision and Enforcement

To the disappointment of public health and environmental campaigners, judicial authorities approved the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during limited time windows throughout the festival.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout Delhi showed air quality peaking around the night hours to some of the worst measurements seen during the festival in at least three years.

Regional Implications

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to declining air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated concentrations of pollution in the city have continued as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous airborne contaminants in the air has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from farm burning in adjacent states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating toxic haze that becomes contained over the capital as winter air arrives.

Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health impact on the nearly 33 million residents living in the capital region is substantial, according to various studies.

These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely fatalities annually in Delhi.