🔗 Share this article

As Tuesday dawned residents of the world's most polluted city were faced with breathing severely hazardous air that fell into the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Readings

Several parts of the capital recorded an air quality index exceeding 500, which equals a tenfold increase over the healthy level recommended by the World Health Organization.

In some locations, levels of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15-20x above acceptable limits.

Fireworks Prohibition and Current Changes

Beginning in 2020, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the hazardous haze that engulfs the capital as colder weather sets in.

However recently, the recently formed local government petitioned the highest court to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously questioned by conservation groups as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health".

Court Verdict and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities complied with the appeal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during designated time windows throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the designated hours across the capital, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city recorded pollution reaching highest levels around midnight to some of the worst readings observed during celebrations in at least recent memory.

Cross-Border Implications

Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the festival also triggered a blame game with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the festivities.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

Alarmingly severe readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a major issue for more than 15 years, with the condition showing no improvement.

During celebratory seasons, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe levels ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the planet's dirtiest city.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The problem in the capital is attributed to a combination of multiple factors including transportation pollution, dust, construction activities, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of farming communities.

In these regions, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing hazardous pollution that becomes contained over the city as colder air arrives.

Public Health and Economic Impact

Both financial and medical impact on the approximately 33 million people residing in the Delhi area is enormous, according to various studies.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can result in cancer.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be responsible for 10,000 early mortalities per year in Delhi.