Dozens of demonstrators assembled at New Delhi's India Gate war memorial, protesting the rising pollution levels and government inaction on Tuesday. They carried colourful placards and posters reading "There is no Earth B", and "Clean air is my right" and demanding immediate action by the government.
The 20 million residents of New Delhi, already one of the world's most polluted cities, have been suffering for weeks under a toxic haze that is up to 10 times worse than the upper limits of what is considered healthy.
The pollution crisis is piling public pressure on the government to tackle the root causes of the persistent haze.
Air pollution in New Delhi and northern Indian states peaks in the winter as farmers in neighbouring agricultural regions set fire to clear land after the harvest and prepare for the next crop season.
The pollution in the Indian capital also peaks after Diwali celebrations, the Hindu festival of light, when people set off fireworks.
A declared public health emergency has remained in place in the city for the past five days.
Schools have stayed closed and authorities have been handing out free anti-pollution masks to children.
New Delhi's government has introduced a system that restricts many private vehicles from taking to the roads for two weeks.
It has ordered firefighters to sprinkle water from high-rise buildings to settle the dust, tried to snuff out garbage fires and ordered builders to cover construction sites to stop dust from enveloping the area.
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