India's government banned non-essential construction in New Delhi, the world's most polluted capital, and urged residents to avoid burning coal for heating, to combat worsening air quality that has disrupted flights and obscured the Taj Mahal.

Toxic smog shrouded India's iconic Taj Mahal in Agra on Thursday (November 14), rendering it barely visible from the surrounding gardens of the 17th-century monument. The dense haze also enveloped the Golden Temple,

Toxic smog blanketed northern India on Thursday, becoming too thick to see through in several places, as high levels of pollution combined with humidity, low wind speed, and a drop in temperature, officials said.

View of India’s capital New Delhi as it chokes under toxic smog Air pollution in New Delhi is likely to stay in the 'severe' category on Friday, before improving to 'very poor', or an index score of 300 to 400,

Residents of India's capital New Delhi choked in a blanketing toxic smog Wednesday as worsening air pollution surged past 50 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily maximum.