🔗 Share this article Delhi Wakes Up to Toxic Pollution Following Diwali On Tuesday morning inhabitants of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to dangerously toxic air that registered in the "severe" level. Alarming Air Quality Levels Various sections of the city recorded an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the safe limit established by the World Health Organization. Particular areas, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than acceptable levels. Firecracker Ban and Current Changes Since 2020, officials had implemented a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the dangerous haze that engulfs the metropolis as winter sets in. However in recent months, the newly elected city administration appealed to the supreme court to request a easing of the ban. The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – which have been criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third lower impact – as a middle ground between "tradition and ecological concerns". Court Verdict and Enforcement Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, judicial authorities approved the proposal, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during specific time windows throughout the celebrations. On Monday night, there was considerable flouting of the regulated periods across the city, with little regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener variety. Several monitoring devices throughout Delhi registered pollution reaching highest levels around late evening to some of the worst measurements observed during the festival in at least three years. International Implications The widespread use of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province partly blaming deteriorating air quality in Lahore on contaminants traveling from neighboring India following the events. Long-Standing Pollution Issue Extremely elevated readings of pollution in Delhi have persisted as a major problem for over a decade and a half, with the problem showing no improvement. During the festival period, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the environment has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the most severe levels ever measured in China's capital, which was once considered as the world's most polluted city. Multiple Pollution Sources The problem in Delhi is caused by a convergence of various sources including automobile exhaust, dust, development work, rubbish burning and pollutants from farm burning in neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana. Within these states, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating hazardous haze that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air descends. Health and Financial Toll Both financial and medical consequences on the nearly 33 million residents calling home the Delhi area is enormous, according to multiple investigations. This pollution leads to elevated rates of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can even lead to cancer. The pollution is estimated to be responsible for ten thousand early mortalities per year in Delhi.