🔗 Share this article

Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" level.

Extremely High Air Quality Measurements

Various sections of the capital registered an pollution measurement above 500, which represents 10x the healthy threshold established by the global health authority.

Particular areas, readings of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, amounting to 15-20x higher than acceptable standards.

Pyrotechnics Prohibition and Recent Developments

Beginning in 2020, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during celebrations due to their major role to the hazardous pollution that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

Yet earlier this year, the current city government petitioned the supreme court to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "green crackers" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Court Verdict and Implementation

Despite concerns of environmental and health campaigners, the court approved the proposal, mandating that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be set off during specific periods throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was widespread violation of the time restrictions across the metropolis, with little regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Several recording stations throughout the capital registered air quality spiking around late evening to extremely hazardous readings observed during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in Lahore on hazardous particles originating in across the border following the celebrations.

Chronic Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of pollution in the capital have remained as a serious challenge for over a decade and a half, with the problem continuing to worsen.

During Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the atmosphere has been documented to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak records ever measured in the Chinese city, which was formerly considered as the world's most polluted metropolis.

Multiple Pollution Factors

The problem in the city is attributed to a mix of various sources including heavy vehicle emissions, construction debris, building projects, garbage fires and pollutants from agricultural fires in adjacent regions of Punjab and Haryana.

Within these states, agricultural workers routinely burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing toxic pollution that becomes contained over the city as winter air sets in.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the roughly thirty-three million people living in the Delhi area is enormous, according to numerous research.

This pollution leads to increased incidence of nervous system, heart and circulatory and breathing conditions, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be accounting for 10,000 early deaths annually in the capital.