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As Tuesday dawned inhabitants of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the capital registered an AQI above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended level set by the WHO.

In some locations, levels of toxic particulate matter soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had implemented a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the deadly pollution that covers the metropolis as colder weather sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the current local government approached the judicial authority to request a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Judicial Verdict and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities complied with the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited periods throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was widespread violation of the designated hours across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the capital showed air quality reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous measurements observed during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of firecrackers during the festival also sparked a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in Lahore on pollutants traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe readings of atmospheric toxins in the city have remained as a significant issue for fifteen-plus years, with the condition continuing to worsen.

Around the festival period, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the peak readings ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Various Contamination Factors

The problem in the city is resulting from a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, development work, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in neighbouring regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, farmers routinely burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing hazardous smog that becomes contained over the capital as cooler air arrives.

Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical toll on the roughly thirty-three million inhabitants residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to various studies.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can result in malignancies.

The pollution is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early fatalities each year in the city.