🔗 Share this article Delhi Awakens to Dangerous Haze Following Diwali Tuesday brought residents of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category. Alarming Air Quality Levels Several parts of Delhi registered an AQI exceeding 500, which equals 10x the recommended limit established by the WHO. In some locations, levels of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, representing 15 to 20 times higher than healthy standards. Fireworks Prohibition and Recent Developments Beginning in 2020, officials had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their substantial impact to the deadly haze that blankets the capital as winter begins. Nevertheless recently, the current regional government appealed to the judicial authority to request a modification of the restrictions. Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically questioned by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent less polluting – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and environment". Legal Decision and Implementation Much to the frustration of environmental and health activists, judicial authorities complied with the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during specific time windows throughout the celebrations. Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal enforcement regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the eco-friendly variety. Several monitoring devices throughout the city recorded air quality spiking around midnight to the most severe measurements recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory. Cross-Border Effects The widespread use of fireworks during the celebrations also initiated a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with representatives in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing worsening pollution levels in Lahore on contaminants coming from across the border following the celebrations. Long-Standing Environmental Issue Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the capital have remained as a serious challenge for over a decade and a half, with the situation gradually deteriorating. During the festival period, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the environment has been documented to shoot up to seventy percent above the worst levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center. Multiple Contamination Contributors This crisis in the capital is caused by a convergence of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, waste incineration and haze from crop residue ignition in nearby states of neighboring agricultural zones. Throughout these areas, rural residents illegally ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, producing hazardous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air arrives. Public Health and Economic Toll Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is significant, according to numerous studies. These hazardous conditions leads to high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases. The pollution is projected to be accounting for 10,000 early mortalities per year in the capital.