🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city encountered inhaling dangerously toxic air that fell into the "severe" category.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of the city showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents 10x the safe level recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of toxic particulate matter hit highs of 1,800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable standards.

Firecracker Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, authorities had implemented a complete ban on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the capital as colder weather sets in.

However in recent months, the current regional government petitioned the judicial authority to request a modification of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Legal Verdict and Enforcement

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court agreed to the proposal, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during limited periods throughout the Diwali.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Numerous recording stations throughout the city showed air quality reaching highest levels around midnight to extremely hazardous measurements observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The proliferation of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a dispute with bordering Pakistan, with officials in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from across the border following the celebrations.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

Extremely elevated levels of pollution in Delhi have continued as a significant challenge for over a decade and a half, with the problem showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the amount of toxic particles in the environment has been observed to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the worst levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Various Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the city is caused by a combination of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities.

In these regions, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to prepare for next season, producing toxic smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is enormous, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing 10,000 premature deaths each year in Delhi.