A dense grey cloud of smog has engulfed the Indian capital of Delhi marking the worst air quality the city has seen in three years.
Delhi is among the world's most highly polluted cities. Around the beginning of October every year, the air quality deteriorates as wind speeds drop and temperatures cool.
Industrial pollution, construction dust, vehicle emissions, and smoke from crop-burning by farmers in neighbouring states becomes trapped under a layer of cool air.
This year, the U-S Embassy's real-time air quality index has recorded extreme levels of toxic airborne particles that can reach deep into the lungs.
Doctors are seeing much higher numbers of patients with respiratory illnesses. The Indian government declared a state of public health emergency and schools were closed.
However, India’s Supreme Court has criticised authorities for failing to reduce the hazardous levels of air pollution, labelling it a violation of people’s right to life.
The air quality has improved slightly as winds picked up, blowing away some of the pollution.
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