India's capital city of Delhi has virtually shut down as air pollution hit "severe plus" levels, according to Indian government officials in its pollution control authority.

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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.

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.

Delhi's new action plan to combat rising pollution includes a ban on non-essential trucks, school closures, and remote work.