🔗 Share this article India's capital Wakes Up to Toxic Pollution After Diwali On Tuesday morning citizens of the world's most polluted city encountered breathing dangerously toxic air that registered in the "alarming" range. Record-Breaking Pollution Levels Various sections of the capital recorded an air quality index over 500, which represents a tenfold increase over the recommended threshold recommended by the World Health Organization. Particular areas, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1800, representing fifteen to twenty times exceeding healthy limits. Fireworks Ban and Recent Developments For the past four years, officials had implemented a comprehensive restriction on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the capital as winter begins. However recently, the current local administration approached the supreme court to request a relaxation of the ban. They proposed allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously criticized by environmental experts as being only roughly 30 percent lower impact – as a compromise between "tradition and public health". Judicial Decision and Enforcement Despite concerns of environmental and health activists, the court approved the appeal, specifying that green firecrackers could be ignited during designated periods throughout the Diwali. During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the designated hours across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener version. Several air quality sensors throughout the capital registered contamination spiking around late evening to the most severe measurements recorded during Diwali in at least recent memory. Cross-Border Implications Extensive ignition of firecrackers during the celebrations also initiated a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing worsening air quality in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the events. Chronic Pollution Problem The dangerously high readings of air contamination in the capital have remained as a major issue for fifteen-plus years, with the situation gradually deteriorating. During Diwali, the concentration of hazardous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to spike to 70% higher the worst records ever documented in Beijing, which was once viewed as the globally most contaminated urban center. Diverse Pollution Factors The situation in the city is attributed to a convergence of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, development work, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in adjacent areas of Punjab and Haryana. Within these states, agricultural workers illegally ignite agricultural waste to expedite field preparation, creating hazardous haze that then gets trapped over the capital as cooler air arrives. Public Health and Financial Impact Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million people living in the metropolitan zone is enormous, according to numerous research. The contaminated air results in high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and breathing diseases, and can even lead to cancer. The pollution is projected to be causing ten thousand premature deaths each year in Delhi.