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Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing dangerously toxic air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Alarming Air Quality Readings

Various sections of the capital recorded an pollution measurement over 500, which represents 10x the recommended level recommended by the WHO.

Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1800, representing 15-20x exceeding acceptable levels.

Fireworks Restrictions and Current Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the metropolis as winter sets in.

Yet earlier this year, the current local government approached the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the ban.

The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – which have been questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% lower impact – as a compromise between "heritage and environment".

Court Ruling and Enforcement

Despite concerns of medical and ecological advocates, judges complied with the request, stipulating that green firecrackers could be used during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Several monitoring devices throughout the capital registered air quality spiking around midnight to extremely hazardous readings recorded during celebrations in at least the past three years.

Regional Consequences

Extensive ignition of fireworks during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab partially attributing declining air quality in their urban centers on hazardous particles coming from across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of air contamination in the capital have continued as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

Around the festival period, the amount of toxic particles in the air has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst records ever recorded in China's capital, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Various Pollution Contributors

The problem in Delhi is caused by a combination of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from crop residue ignition in adjacent regions of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents regularly burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, generating toxic pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Economic Toll

The economic and health impact on the roughly thirty-three million people living in the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air leads to increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to cancer.

The pollution is calculated to be accounting for ten thousand untimely mortalities each year in the city.