đ Share this article The megacity Wakes Up to Hazardous Pollution After Festival of Lights As Tuesday dawned citizens of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with inhaling extremely polluted air that fell into the "critical" category. Alarming Pollution Levels Multiple areas of the capital showed an air quality index over 500, which translates to ten times the healthy limit established by the global health authority. Particular areas, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 soared to of 1,800, representing fifteen to twenty times above healthy levels. Pyrotechnics Prohibition and New Policy Shifts For the past four years, officials had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the deadly pollution that blankets the metropolis as winter approaches. Yet earlier this year, the newly elected city government approached the judicial authority to seek a modification of the restrictions. They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" â historically doubted by environmental experts as being only about 30% less polluting â as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns". Legal Verdict and Reality Despite concerns of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during specific hours throughout the festival. Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the designated hours across the city, with little enforcement regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type. Numerous recording stations throughout Delhi showed contamination reaching highest levels around late evening to the most severe measurements recorded during Diwali in at least three years. Regional Effects The proliferation of fireworks during Diwali also sparked a controversy with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province partly blaming worsening air quality in Lahore on contaminants originating in across the border following the celebrations. Persistent Environmental Problem Alarmingly severe concentrations of atmospheric toxins in Delhi have remained as a major challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the problem showing no improvement. Near Diwali, the concentration of dangerous airborne contaminants in the environment has been found to spike to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever measured in the Chinese city, which was once regarded as the planet's dirtiest urban center. Various Pollution Factors The situation in the city is attributed to a convergence of different contributors including transportation pollution, dust, building projects, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in nearby states of Punjab and Haryana. Throughout these areas, agricultural workers regularly ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous smog that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air sets in. Medical and Financial Impact Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple studies. The contaminated air results in increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can result in oncological diseases. Air quality crisis is calculated to be causing approximately 10k early mortalities each year in the capital.