🔗 Share this article

Tuesday brought residents of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling extremely polluted air that registered in the "alarming" range.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Various sections of the city registered an AQI exceeding 500, which translates to 10x the safe threshold recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, concentrations of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of 1800, amounting to 15-20x above safe levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Recent Policy Shifts

For the past four years, authorities had enforced a complete ban on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the hazardous smog that covers the metropolis as winter sets in.

Nevertheless in recent months, the newly elected regional administration petitioned the supreme court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – previously criticized by environmental experts as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "tradition and environment".

Court Ruling and Implementation

Despite concerns of environmental and health campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the capital, with insufficient regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the capital registered pollution peaking around the night hours to extremely hazardous measurements recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory.

Regional Effects

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a blame game with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the events.

Persistent Pollution Crisis

Extremely elevated concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the situation continuing to worsen.

Near Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particles in the air has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever documented in China's capital, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Multiple Contamination Contributors

This crisis in the city is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, garbage fires and smoke from crop residue ignition in nearby states of farming communities.

Within these states, agricultural workers illegally set their fields on fire to prepare for next season, creating hazardous pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as cooler air descends.

Health and Financial Toll

The economic and health impact on the approximately 33 million people living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple studies.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and respiratory disorders, and can result in cancer.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing approximately 10k premature mortalities annually in the city.