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Tuesday brought inhabitants of the planet's dirtiest urban center found themselves exposed to severely hazardous air that registered in the "severe" category.

Alarming Air Quality Levels

Various sections of the capital showed an air quality index above 500, which represents 10x the safe threshold set by the global health authority.

In some locations, concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 hit highs of 1,800, representing 15-20x above acceptable standards.

Pyrotechnics Ban and Recent Changes

For the past four years, the government had maintained a comprehensive restriction on the sale and use of pyrotechnics during Diwali due to their substantial impact to the dangerous pollution that engulfs the metropolis as the cold season sets in.

Yet in recent months, the recently formed regional government petitioned the judicial authority to propose a easing of the ban.

They proposed allowing "environmentally conscious pyrotechnics" – previously criticized by environmental experts as being only about 30% lower impact – as a middle ground between "heritage and public health".

Court Decision and Implementation

Despite concerns of public health and environmental advocates, judicial authorities agreed to the request, specifying that environmentally conscious fireworks could be ignited during designated hours throughout the celebrations.

During the celebrations, there was considerable violation of the regulated periods across the city, with minimal regulation regarding whether the fireworks being used were actually the supposedly greener type.

Many monitoring devices throughout the capital showed pollution peaking around midnight to the most severe levels seen during celebrations in at least recent memory.

International Consequences

Extensive ignition of pyrotechnics during the festival also initiated a dispute with adjacent the neighboring country, with authorities in Pakistan's the Punjab region partially attributing deteriorating atmospheric conditions in their urban centers on contaminants originating in India following the events.

Chronic Environmental Issue

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

During Diwali, the concentration of toxic particles in the air has been observed to increase dramatically to seventy percent above the most severe records ever documented in Beijing, which was once regarded as the globally most contaminated metropolis.

Diverse Contamination Factors

This crisis in the capital is caused by a mix of multiple factors including automobile exhaust, dust, building projects, waste incineration and smoke from agricultural fires in nearby areas of farming communities.

Throughout these areas, rural residents routinely set their fields on fire to clear them quickly, creating dangerous pollution that becomes contained over the metropolitan area as cooler air descends.

Health and Financial Consequences

The economic and health consequences on the approximately 33 million inhabitants residing in the capital region is significant, according to numerous research.

The contaminated air causes high levels of neurological, cardiovascular and lung conditions, and can potentially cause cancer.

Air quality crisis is estimated to be causing ten thousand premature deaths each year in the capital.