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As Tuesday dawned residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "severe" level.

Alarming Air Quality Readings

Various sections of Delhi showed an air quality index exceeding 500, which equals 10x the recommended threshold established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times above healthy standards.

Firecracker Restrictions and New Developments

For the past four years, authorities had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the dangerous pollution that blankets the metropolis as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed regional government approached the supreme court to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and environment".

Legal Ruling and Implementation

To the disappointment of medical and ecological campaigners, judges approved the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during specific hours throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive flouting of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city recorded air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Implications

The proliferation of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing worsening air quality in the city of Lahore on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Crisis

The dangerously high concentrations of pollution in the city have continued as a major issue for over a decade and a half, with the condition showing no improvement.

Near the festival period, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the peak readings ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Pollution Sources

The situation in the capital is caused by a convergence of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers routinely set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, producing toxic smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Toll

Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple investigations.

This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to malignancies.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be responsible for 10,000 premature deaths annually in Delhi.