🔗 Share this article

As Tuesday dawned residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" category.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which represents ten times the healthy level established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times higher than acceptable limits.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Developments

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that engulfs the city as the cold season begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the current regional administration appealed to the supreme court to seek a modification of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a compromise between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Ruling and Enforcement

To the disappointment of environmental and health advocates, the court complied with the request, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Several recording stations throughout the city recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to some of the worst measurements observed during Diwali in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming worsening air quality in Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated levels of air contamination in the capital have persisted as a serious challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the amount of hazardous airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to spike to seventy percent above the peak records ever measured in Beijing, which was previously viewed as the planet's dirtiest metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The problem in the city is attributed to a convergence of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, building projects, waste incineration and smoke from agricultural fires in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, generating toxic smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as cooler air arrives.

Public Health and Financial Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million people living in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous studies.

This pollution results in increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k premature deaths per year in the capital.