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As Tuesday dawned residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" level.

Extremely High Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the capital registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which represents 10x the safe limit set by the global health authority.

Certain monitoring stations, levels of toxic particulate matter soared to of 1,800, equating to 15 to 20 times higher than healthy limits.

Fireworks Ban and Recent Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, officials had maintained a total prohibition on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their significant contribution to the deadly haze that engulfs the city as the cold season sets in.

However earlier this year, the current regional administration appealed to the supreme court to propose a easing of the prohibition.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a compromise between "cultural practices and public health".

Legal Ruling and Reality

To the disappointment of public health and environmental campaigners, the court approved the proposal, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be set off during specific hours throughout the Diwali.

During the celebrations, there was extensive flouting of the regulated periods across the metropolis, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Many recording stations throughout the city registered air quality spiking around late evening to extremely hazardous measurements recorded during Diwali in at least three years.

Cross-Border Consequences

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's Punjab partly blaming deteriorating pollution levels in their urban centers on contaminants coming from neighboring India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Problem

Extremely elevated levels of atmospheric toxins in the capital have persisted as a significant issue for more than 15 years, with the situation gradually deteriorating.

During Diwali, the concentration of toxic particulate matter in the air has been found to spike to seventy percent above the peak records ever documented in China's capital, which was formerly regarded as the globally most contaminated urban center.

Multiple Contamination Sources

This crisis in the capital is caused by a mix of different contributors including automobile exhaust, airborne particles, building projects, garbage fires and smoke from agricultural fires in adjacent areas of neighboring agricultural zones.

Throughout these areas, agricultural workers regularly set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, producing toxic smog that becomes contained over the city as winter air descends.

Health and Economic Impact

Public health and economic toll on the nearly 33 million people calling home the capital region is enormous, according to various research.

These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and can result in malignancies.

Air quality crisis is calculated to be responsible for ten thousand untimely deaths each year in the city.