🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" range.

Extremely High Air Quality Readings

Several parts of Delhi showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the safe threshold recommended by the global health authority.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times exceeding healthy limits.

Firecracker Prohibition and Current Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had implemented a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the dangerous haze that blankets the city as winter sets in.

Yet recently, the newly elected city administration appealed to the judicial authority to propose a easing of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – previously doubted by environmentalists as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a balance between "cultural practices and public health".

Judicial Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of medical and ecological activists, the court agreed to the appeal, mandating that green firecrackers could be ignited during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was widespread flouting of the regulated periods across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety.

Numerous recording stations throughout the city recorded pollution peaking around late evening to extremely hazardous measurements observed during Diwali in at least three years.

International Consequences

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also triggered a dispute with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partly blaming declining air quality in the city of Lahore on pollutants originating in across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a significant challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around celebratory seasons, the amount of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe records ever documented in China's capital, which was previously considered as the world's most polluted city.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, construction debris, development work, waste incineration and smoke from agricultural fires in nearby regions of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, creating hazardous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air arrives.

Health and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants residing in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air leads to increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can result in oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k early deaths each year in Delhi.