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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "alarming" range.

Extremely High Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the city showed an air quality index above 500, which equals ten times the healthy level set by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1,800, representing 15 to 20 times above safe standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and New Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that blankets the city as colder weather begins.

However in recent months, the current local administration approached the highest court to request a relaxation of the ban.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by conservation groups as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Court Ruling and Enforcement

To the disappointment of medical and ecological advocates, judges agreed to the appeal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread disregard of the time restrictions across the city, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly type.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital recorded pollution spiking around late evening to some of the worst measurements observed during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Effects

The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also initiated a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing declining atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on pollutants coming from India following the events.

Chronic Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high concentrations of air contamination in the city have persisted as a significant problem for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

Near the festival period, the levels of hazardous particles in the environment has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly regarded as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Pollution Contributors

The situation in the capital is attributed to a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in nearby regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, farmers routinely ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, generating dangerous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as winter air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Impact

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

This pollution results in increased incidence of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can result in cancer.

The pollution is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature fatalities annually in the city.