🔗 Share this article Delhi Rises to Dangerous Pollution Post Diwali On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "critical" range. Record-Breaking Pollution Readings Various sections of the city recorded an AQI above 500, which equals ten times the healthy level established by the WHO. Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of eighteen hundred, representing fifteen to twenty times above safe levels. Firecracker Prohibition and New Changes Since 2020, the government had maintained a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their substantial impact to the deadly smog that covers the city as the cold season begins. Yet in recent months, the newly elected local government appealed to the judicial authority to propose a easing of the prohibition. They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been doubted by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a balance between "heritage and environment". Legal Verdict and Implementation Much to the frustration of medical and ecological advocates, judicial authorities complied with the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be used during limited time windows throughout the festival. On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener variety. Numerous recording stations throughout Delhi showed contamination spiking around late evening to some of the worst levels recorded during the festival in at least recent memory. International Consequences The widespread use of fireworks during the festival also sparked a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partially attributing worsening air quality in their urban centers on contaminants originating in India following the festivities. Persistent Environmental Issue Extremely elevated levels of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the problem showing no improvement. Near the festival period, the levels of dangerous particulate matter in the air has been documented to spike to significantly exceeding the most severe levels ever documented in Beijing, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated urban center. Various Pollution Contributors This crisis in the capital is caused by a convergence of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in nearby regions of Punjab and Haryana. Throughout these areas, farmers illegally burn crop residue to clear them quickly, producing hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the city as winter air descends. Health and Economic Impact Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million residents living in the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous investigations. These hazardous conditions results in increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory conditions, and can even lead to malignancies. The pollution is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early mortalities per year in the capital.