Delhi recorded air pollution more than 17 times above an acceptable level as worsening smog triggered curbs on trucking and shuttered construction sites and schools.

The AQI at all monitoring stations stood between 1300 and 1600 - ‘hazardous’ category - at around 10 am on Monday, as per Swiss air technology company IQAir.

The Indian capital closed all schools, banned lorries and halted construction work on Monday as air quality in New Delhi plummeted to its worst level this year, with a thick layer of yellowish haze engulfing the city of 22 million.

New Delhi has become the most polluted city in the world after its air quality turns ‘hazardous’ at 1,081 and the concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into lungs,

Around 38% of the pollution in New Delhi this year has been caused by stubble burning - a practice where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields - in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, according to SAFAR, a weather forecasting agency under the ministry of earth sciences.

Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season. Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick,

Pollution in New Delhi shot up to its worst level of the year so far, prompting local authorities to enact emergency measures, including school shutdowns and a ban on construction work.

Authorities in India’s capital have shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air