🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning inhabitants of this heavily contaminated metropolis encountered exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "critical" range.

Alarming Air Quality Measurements

Multiple areas of Delhi registered an pollution measurement above 500, which equals ten times the recommended limit established by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times higher than healthy standards.

Fireworks Ban and Current Changes

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a total prohibition on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their major role to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as winter begins.

Yet recently, the newly elected local administration appealed to the highest court to seek a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a compromise between "heritage and ecological concerns".

Court Decision and Implementation

Despite concerns of medical and ecological advocates, judges complied with the request, mandating that green firecrackers could be set off during limited periods throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was extensive disregard of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Several air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to some of the worst readings observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

Extensive ignition of fireworks during the festival also triggered a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing declining air quality in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe levels of air contamination in Delhi have persisted as a significant problem for fifteen-plus years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Around Diwali, the concentration of dangerous particles in the air has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe records ever documented in Beijing, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Contamination Contributors

The situation in Delhi is attributed to a mix of various sources including transportation pollution, dust, development work, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, creating dangerous smog that becomes contained over the capital as winter air arrives.

Medical and Economic Consequences

Public health and economic impact on the approximately 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is significant, according to multiple studies.

The contaminated air leads to high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

The pollution is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k early deaths annually in Delhi.