🔗 Share this article The megacity Wakes Up to Hazardous Haze After Festival of Lights Tuesday brought residents of this heavily contaminated metropolis were faced with breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "severe" range. Extremely High Pollution Readings Several parts of the city showed an pollution measurement exceeding 500, which represents ten times the recommended limit set by the World Health Organization. Certain monitoring stations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter soared to of eighteen hundred, representing 15-20x above healthy limits. Pyrotechnics Restrictions and Current Policy Shifts For the past four years, authorities had maintained a total prohibition on the distribution and bursting of fireworks during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the dangerous haze that engulfs the city as winter approaches. Nevertheless earlier this year, the newly elected local administration appealed to the judicial authority to seek a relaxation of the ban. The suggestion was allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – historically criticized by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third reduced emissions – as a balance between "tradition and public health". Legal Decision and Reality Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, judges agreed to the proposal, specifying that eco-friendly pyrotechnics could be ignited during limited hours throughout the celebrations. During the celebrations, there was extensive disregard of the designated hours across the metropolis, with little regulation regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the supposedly greener type. Numerous air quality sensors throughout Delhi recorded air quality spiking around late evening to the most severe measurements seen during the festival in at least three years. International Consequences The widespread use of pyrotechnics during the celebrations also sparked a controversy with adjacent Pakistan, with authorities in Pakistani the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating pollution levels in the city of Lahore on hazardous particles traveling from across the border following the celebrations. Long-Standing Environmental Issue Extremely elevated concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have remained as a serious challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the problem continuing to worsen. Near Diwali, the amount of dangerous particles in the atmosphere has been observed to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever documented in Beijing, which was once viewed as the planet's dirtiest urban center. Multiple Pollution Factors The situation in Delhi is caused by a convergence of different contributors including heavy vehicle emissions, airborne particles, construction activities, rubbish burning and haze from farm burning in adjacent regions of farming communities. In these regions, agricultural workers illegally burn crop residue to expedite field preparation, producing dangerous pollution that remains stagnant over the capital as cooler air arrives. Medical and Financial Consequences Both financial and medical impact on the nearly 33 million residents living in the Delhi area is substantial, according to multiple studies. These hazardous conditions leads to increased incidence of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, and can result in cancer. The pollution is estimated to be accounting for ten thousand premature mortalities each year in Delhi.