🔗 Share this article Delhi Wakes Up to Dangerous Smog After Diwali As Tuesday dawned citizens of this heavily contaminated metropolis found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that was classified as the "alarming" level. Alarming Pollution Readings Various sections of the city recorded an AQI over 500, which translates to a tenfold increase over the healthy limit established by the global health authority. Certain monitoring stations, levels of dangerous airborne particles hit highs of eighteen hundred, amounting to 15 to 20 times exceeding acceptable levels. Fireworks Ban and Recent Developments Since 2020, authorities had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the deadly haze that blankets the capital as winter begins. However recently, the newly elected regional government approached the judicial authority to seek a easing of the restrictions. They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by conservation groups as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "cultural practices and public health". Legal Decision and Reality To the disappointment of medical and ecological campaigners, judges agreed to the appeal, stipulating that green firecrackers could be set off during designated hours throughout the celebrations. During the celebrations, there was extensive violation of the regulated periods across the city, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the eco-friendly variety. Many monitoring devices throughout Delhi recorded pollution peaking around midnight to some of the worst measurements recorded during Diwali in at least three years. International Implications Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the festival also sparked a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's the Punjab region partly blaming worsening atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on pollutants originating in across the border following the celebrations. Chronic Pollution Issue Extremely elevated levels of air contamination in the city have persisted as a serious challenge for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement. Near the festival period, the levels of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to significantly exceeding the peak levels ever recorded in Beijing, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis. Various Pollution Factors This crisis in Delhi is attributed to a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, construction debris, development work, garbage fires and haze from crop residue ignition in nearby areas of neighboring agricultural zones. Within these states, farmers routinely ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, creating toxic haze that remains stagnant over the city as cooler air sets in. Public Health and Economic Impact Public health and economic consequences on the approximately 33 million people living in the metropolitan zone is substantial, according to various studies. The contaminated air causes increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can result in cancer. Air quality crisis is estimated to be accounting for approximately 10k untimely mortalities annually in the capital.