🔗 Share this article Delhi Awakens to Toxic Pollution Post Diwali Tuesday brought inhabitants of the world's most polluted city found themselves inhaling severely hazardous air that was classified as the "critical" category. Alarming Pollution Readings Multiple areas of Delhi registered an AQI above 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the safe level recommended by the global health authority. Particular areas, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, amounting to fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy levels. Fireworks Ban and New Developments For the past four years, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the purchase and ignition of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the dangerous pollution that blankets the capital as the cold season approaches. Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed regional administration petitioned the supreme court to request a relaxation of the prohibition. The suggestion was allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – historically criticized by environmentalists as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a balance between "tradition and environment". Legal Decision and Enforcement Despite concerns of public health and environmental campaigners, judicial authorities approved the appeal, stipulating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during limited hours throughout the festival. On Monday night, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with minimal monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the supposedly greener type. Many air quality sensors throughout the capital recorded contamination peaking around the night hours to some of the worst levels seen during the festival in at least the past three years. Cross-Border Effects The proliferation of firecrackers during Diwali also triggered a controversy with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani Punjab province partly blaming declining pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the events. Persistent Environmental Crisis Extremely elevated concentrations of atmospheric toxins in the city have remained as a serious issue for more than 15 years, with the condition continuing to worsen. During celebratory seasons, the concentration of dangerous particles in the environment has been observed to shoot up to seventy percent above the peak levels ever recorded in the Chinese city, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated metropolis. Multiple Contamination Contributors The problem in the capital is resulting from a combination of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, development work, waste incineration and smoke from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones. Within these states, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, generating dangerous haze that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air arrives. Public Health and Economic Impact The economic and health toll on the nearly 33 million people calling home the Delhi area is substantial, according to numerous studies. This pollution leads to increased incidence of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing disorders, and can result in malignancies. The pollution is projected to be causing 10,000 premature fatalities per year in Delhi.