India's capital Wakes Up to Dangerous Smog Following Festival of Lights

On Tuesday morning residents of the world's most polluted city were faced with exposed to extremely polluted air that was classified as the "critical" range.

Alarming Pollution Levels

Multiple areas of the city registered an air quality index exceeding 500, which equals 10x the healthy level set by the WHO.

Certain monitoring stations, readings of PM2.5 and PM10 reached peaks of 1,800, amounting to 15 to 20 times exceeding safe limits.

Pyrotechnics Ban and New Policy Shifts

Beginning in 2020, the government had implemented a complete ban on the distribution and bursting of pyrotechnics during the Festival of Lights due to their significant contribution to the dangerous pollution that blankets the metropolis as colder weather sets in.

Nevertheless earlier this year, the recently formed local leadership approached the supreme court to seek a modification of the restrictions.

Officials advocated for allowing "eco-friendly fireworks" – previously questioned by environmentalists as being only about 30% reduced emissions – as a middle ground between "tradition and ecological concerns".

Court Ruling and Implementation

Despite concerns of medical and ecological campaigners, the court complied with the request, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be used during specific periods throughout the festival.

On Monday night, there was extensive flouting of the time restrictions across the capital, with little monitoring regarding whether the pyrotechnics being used were actually the more environmentally friendly version.

Many air quality sensors throughout the city registered contamination reaching highest levels around the night hours to the most severe measurements seen during the festival in at least the past three years.

International Effects

The proliferation of fireworks during the festival also sparked a dispute with neighbouring the neighboring country, with officials in Pakistan's Punjab province partially attributing worsening pollution levels in their urban centers on pollutants traveling from India following the events.

Long-Standing Pollution Issue

Alarmingly severe concentrations of air contamination in Delhi have continued as a major problem for fifteen-plus years, with the situation showing no improvement.

Around the festival period, the levels of toxic particles in the air has been observed to increase dramatically to significantly exceeding the most severe readings ever documented in the Chinese city, which was formerly viewed as the planet's dirtiest urban center.

Diverse Contamination Sources

The situation in the city is attributed to a combination of different contributors including transportation pollution, construction debris, construction activities, garbage fires and pollutants from farm burning in nearby areas of Punjab and Haryana.

Throughout these areas, farmers illegally ignite agricultural waste to prepare for next season, generating toxic pollution that then gets trapped over the city as winter air sets in.

Medical and Economic Impact

Public health and economic impact on the nearly 33 million inhabitants calling home the capital region is enormous, according to multiple research.

These hazardous conditions results in high levels of nervous system, cardiovascular and breathing conditions, and can potentially cause malignancies.

Environmental contamination is estimated to be responsible for approximately 10k untimely deaths each year in Delhi.