🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Various sections of the city recorded an air quality index above 500, which equals 10x the safe level recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, readings of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of eighteen hundred, equating to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had enforced a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during celebrations due to their significant contribution to the hazardous haze that blankets the city as the cold season begins.

Nevertheless in recent months, the recently formed local administration petitioned the highest court to seek a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and public health".

Court Verdict and Implementation

To the disappointment of public health and environmental advocates, the court agreed to the proposal, specifying that green firecrackers could be used during limited time windows throughout the Diwali.

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

Several air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around the night hours to the most severe measurements seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Effects

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a dispute with bordering the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region pointing to deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the festivities.

Chronic Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe levels of pollution in the city have persisted as a major challenge for more than 15 years, with the condition showing no improvement.

Around Diwali, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been found to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the most severe levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Contributors

The situation in the city is attributed to a convergence of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring regions of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, producing dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the capital as colder air sets in.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is significant, according to numerous studies.

The contaminated air leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is calculated to be causing ten thousand premature mortalities each year in Delhi.