🔗 Share this article

On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that registered in the "severe" range.

Alarming Pollution Readings

Various sections of the capital recorded an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which translates to ten times the healthy level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Particular areas, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, representing 15-20x higher than acceptable standards.

Fireworks Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Since 2020, officials had maintained a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly smog that engulfs the capital as colder weather begins.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed local government appealed to the judicial authority to propose a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously doubted by conservation groups as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a compromise between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Judicial Decision and Implementation

Much to the frustration of public health and environmental activists, judicial authorities approved the appeal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during specific periods throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was widespread flouting of the designated hours across the capital, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener variety.

Several recording stations throughout Delhi recorded air quality peaking around midnight to some of the worst readings seen during celebrations in at least the past three years.

International Implications

The widespread use of pyrotechnics during Diwali also initiated a controversy with bordering Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partially attributing worsening air quality in Lahore on contaminants originating in across the border following the festivities.

Chronic Environmental Issue

The dangerously high readings of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a major issue for more than 15 years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Near celebratory seasons, the concentration of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to 70% higher the peak levels ever measured in China's capital, which was once considered as the globally most contaminated city.

Diverse Contamination Factors

This crisis in the city is attributed to a mix of multiple factors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, waste incineration and pollutants from agricultural fires in neighbouring areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Within these states, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, generating dangerous smog that then gets trapped over the metropolitan area as colder air descends.

Health and Financial Toll

Both financial and medical consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the Delhi area is significant, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions results in elevated rates of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and can potentially cause oncological diseases.

Environmental contamination is projected to be responsible for 10,000 premature mortalities per year in the city.