🔗 Share this article

Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" category.

Record-Breaking Air Quality Levels

Various sections of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which represents 10x the healthy limit established by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter soared to of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15-20x above healthy standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, authorities had enforced a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the deadly pollution that covers the capital as the cold season begins.

However in recent months, the current city administration petitioned the supreme court to seek a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – which have been doubted by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Implementation

Despite concerns of public health and environmental advocates, the court agreed to the proposal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

On Monday night, there was considerable disregard of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with insufficient enforcement regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Numerous air quality sensors throughout the city showed contamination reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe measurements recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of fireworks during Diwali also initiated a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani Punjab pointing to worsening air quality in Lahore on pollutants coming from neighboring India following the celebrations.

Persistent Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in the capital have remained as a serious problem for more than 15 years, with the problem gradually deteriorating.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the air has been found to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was formerly viewed as the globally most contaminated city.

Multiple Pollution Sources

The situation in the capital is caused by a mix of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent states of farming communities.

Within these states, rural residents regularly ignite agricultural waste to clear them quickly, producing toxic smog that remains stagnant over the metropolitan area as winter air arrives.

Medical and Financial Consequences

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the capital region is enormous, according to numerous investigations.

These hazardous conditions leads to elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing diseases, and can even lead to oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature fatalities each year in Delhi.