As air pollution shot up to dangerous levels across India, underscoring an already dire public health crisis, a crowd descended on a small shop in New Delhi for a novel solution: a 15-minute hit of clean oxygen.

At Oxy Pure, a self-styled “oxygen bar”, customers strapped tubes to their noses and inhaled scents of lavender, lemon grass or spearmint.

In the absence of other options, Lisa Dwivedi, a Ukrainian living in the city, said she came to the bar because she was fed up with having itchy eyes, a runny nose and a swollen throat.

“I don’t know if it’s psychological, but it makes me feel good to know I am inhaling pure oxygen, if only for 15 minutes,” she said.

The air pollution crisis in India has become so severe that officials in the capital declared a public health emergency earlier this month, when levels of deadly particulate matter rose a few dozen times above what the World Health Organisation considers safe.

New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Show all 14 1 /14 New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels India's Rashtrapati Bhawan is partly visible due to smog as traffic plies on Rajapth. Smog levels spike during winter in Delhi, when air quality often eclipses the World Health Organization's safe levels AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Cooler air traps pollutants -- such as from vehicles, building sites and farmers burning crops in regions outside the Indian capital -- close to the ground AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A man wearing a protective mask walks amidst smog in the early morning in New Delhi Reuters New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Indian people receive treatment for respiratory problems at a hospital in New Delhi AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Buildings shrouded in smog Reuters New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A combination of pictures showing people wearing face masks to protect themselves against air pollution AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Indian workers are seen in the morning smog as they clean a lane littered with remains of firecrackers AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Smog envelopes the horizon in New Delhi AP New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Motorists on a busy road amid heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A man cycles past a government building amid heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels Commuters are seen amid heavy smog in New Delhi AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels An Indian shepherd walks along his herd of sheep amidst heavy smog AFP/Getty New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A train moves through heavy smog EPA New Delhi toxic smog pushes air pollution to peak levels A pedestrian crosses a road near the Indian President's house AFP/Getty

Doctors are reporting a surge of patients with severe respiratory problems. This week, New Delhi’s government shut all primary schools for a second time this month because of pollution in the capital region, home to more than 46 million people.

But despite air so scary it may be causing brain damage in children, some central government officials have either resisted acknowledging the problem, which has persisted in India for years, or minimised its severity.

During an especially poisonous day, when levels of PM 2.5, tiny, cancer-linked particulate matter, rose to some 60 times the safe limit in parts of the capital, Harsh Vardhan, India’s health minister, recommended eating carrots to fight any harmful effects.

Another senior lawmaker criticised those who tried to stop farmers from burning their crops and instead suggested praying to the Hindu god of rain for relief.

So far this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refrained from publicly commenting on the air pollution. His office recently set up a panel to look into it, but a high-level parliamentary meeting Friday about the pollution was cancelled because hardly any officials showed up, according to Indian news outlets.

“People are dying, and it cannot happen in a civilised country,” a bench of Supreme Court judges said this month about the pollution. “We will not tolerate this. We are making a mockery of everything.”

With no imminent solutions, some Indians have tried to step in — with solutions like the oxygen bar.

It's not uncommon for areas across India to be shrouded in deadly smog (AFP)

As winds slow during winter months and farmers burn crops to make room for a new harvest, dirty air settles over India’s cities, mixing with construction dust, power plant emissions and fumes from people bursting fireworks to celebrate festivals.

Many Indians have become fatalistic about the government taking tougher steps to clean the air, if they even know how dangerous it has become.

Without consistent and strong public messaging, pollution masks are still uncommon in India, and those who wear them are sometimes laughed at. This month, people waded into the capital’s stretch of the Yamuna River, which is largely untreated sewage, to wash, clean utensils and take selfies with icebergs of foam formed by industrial waste.

Delhi bans half of all cars from roads to combat toxic smog

Despite the second government shutdown of schools, which lasted from two days, a nonprofit organisation sponsored an outdoor run for children.

Hundreds of people participated, and event banners bore the logo for the state-owned Life Insurance Corp of India.

Customers sitting inside the bar with oxygen tanks filled with scented air (EPA)

During parts of November, officials in New Delhi have tried to lessen the pollution by restricting the use of private vehicles on alternating days, allowing only cars with odd-number license plates to drive on odd dates and cars with even-numbered plates on even-numbered dates.

But efforts like this one appeared to have a marginal effect in improving the air, which remained “severe” throughout the capital this week, according to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

For Indians worried about the air, options have largely been restricted to buying purifiers, sealing cracks in their homes with blankets and towels, or leaving toxic cities entirely.

India’s poorest residents have no choice but to sleep outside in the fog.

At Oxy Pure, which is in Select Citywalk, a more upscale mall in New Delhi, customers pay £3 to £4.60 for 15 minutes of oxygen carried through a nasal cannula. They can choose among seven scents — including eucalyptus, peppermint and cinnamon. Oxy Pure has introduced a “pollution special”: five sessions for the price of four.

The owner, Aryavir Kumar, who originally worked as a hotelier, said he did not make a profit from the business, which opened in May. But he plans to open locations in the capital’s airport, and in the cities of Mumbai and Bangalore.

“Customers say, ‘Now we have to buy fresh air?’” he said in an interview. “I tell them, ‘Do you not also pay for a bottle of clean drinking water, something you did not do 20 years ago?’”