🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that registered in the "alarming" level.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Various sections of the capital registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the recommended level established by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles soared to of 1800, equating to 15 to 20 times exceeding acceptable levels.

Firecracker Ban and New Developments

Since 2020, officials had maintained a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of fireworks during Diwali due to their major role to the hazardous smog that blankets the city as colder weather begins.

Yet in recent months, the newly elected city leadership approached the supreme court to request a modification of the restrictions.

The suggestion was allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and environment".

Judicial Decision and Reality

Despite concerns of environmental and health campaigners, the court approved the appeal, stipulating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during designated hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the eco-friendly type.

Numerous monitoring devices throughout the capital registered pollution reaching highest levels around the night hours to extremely hazardous readings recorded during the festival in at least three years.

Regional Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the festival also triggered a blame game with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to worsening pollution levels in the city of Lahore on contaminants originating in across the border following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have persisted as a major issue for more than 15 years, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During the festival period, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the environment has been observed to shoot up to significantly exceeding the worst readings ever measured in the Chinese city, which was previously considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Diverse Contamination Factors

This crisis in the city is caused by a combination of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, dust, development work, waste incineration and smoke from crop residue ignition in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.

In these regions, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating toxic haze that remains stagnant over the city as cooler air descends.

Public Health and Economic Consequences

Both financial and medical impact on the roughly thirty-three million residents residing in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to various investigations.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of neurological, heart and circulatory and lung conditions, and can result in malignancies.

Air quality crisis is projected to be accounting for approximately 10k premature deaths per year in the city.