Authorities in India’s capital have shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.

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,

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.

Air quality in northern India has worsened over the past week, with New Delhi's AQI recording a reading of 465, classified as "severe plus category", on Sunday evening due to unfavourable meteorological conditions,

Delhi ’s government imposed the most stringent set of restrictions on the movement of vehicles and people as the toxic smog enveloping the Indian capital worsened on Monday. The city’s average air quality index was 457 in the morning,

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.

The Supreme Court agreed for an urgent hearing of a plea on Monday seeking directions to curb air pollution in the national capital and adjoining areas.