🔗 Share this article

Tuesday brought residents of the planet's dirtiest urban center encountered breathing extremely polluted air that was classified as the "alarming" category.

Record-Breaking Pollution Measurements

Several parts of the city recorded an air quality index over 500, which translates to ten times the recommended threshold recommended by the WHO.

In some locations, concentrations of toxic particulate matter reached peaks of 1800, equating to fifteen to twenty times higher than healthy standards.

Fireworks Prohibition and New Changes

Beginning in 2020, officials had maintained a complete ban on the purchase and ignition of pyrotechnics during celebrations due to their major role to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the city as winter approaches.

Yet earlier this year, the newly elected local administration petitioned the highest court to request a relaxation of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously doubted by environmental experts as being only approximately one-third less polluting – as a middle ground between "heritage and public health".

Judicial Ruling and Enforcement

To the disappointment of environmental and health campaigners, judicial authorities complied with the request, mandating that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during limited time windows throughout the celebrations.

Throughout the festival evening, there was extensive violation of the time restrictions across the capital, with insufficient monitoring regarding whether the firecrackers being used were actually the more environmentally friendly variety.

Several air quality sensors throughout the city recorded pollution peaking around midnight to some of the worst levels recorded during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Implications

The proliferation of firecrackers during the festival also triggered a blame game with bordering the neighboring country, with representatives in Pakistani the Punjab region pointing to declining air quality in Lahore on contaminants traveling from across the border following the festivities.

Chronic Environmental Problem

Alarmingly severe levels of air contamination in the city have remained as a serious challenge for fifteen-plus years, with the condition gradually deteriorating.

During the festival period, the concentration of toxic airborne contaminants in the environment has been found to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever measured in Beijing, which was previously considered as the world's most polluted city.

Diverse Contamination Factors

The situation in Delhi is resulting from a combination of various sources including transportation pollution, airborne particles, building projects, rubbish burning and haze from crop residue ignition in nearby states of farming communities.

In these regions, farmers routinely set their fields on fire to expedite field preparation, generating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the capital as winter air sets in.

Public Health and Financial Impact

Public health and economic consequences on the nearly 33 million inhabitants living in the Delhi area is significant, according to numerous investigations.

The contaminated air causes high levels of neurological, heart and circulatory and breathing disorders, and can result in malignancies.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be causing 10,000 untimely mortalities per year in the capital.