Air pollution choking New Delhi has ground outdoor work to a halt and disrupted air travel in the Indian capital.

Delhi recorded the worst air quality in India on Wednesday with a severe AQI of 418 while Noida and Gurugram also faced very poor levels.

Air pollution in India's national capital increased to 'severe' on an official index on Wednesday for the first time this season as temperatures and wind speeds dropped, reducing visibility and affecting some flights.

Delhi and its neighbouring cities are experiencing pollution levels that are at least 30-35 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Every year, Delhi and northern states battle hazardous air during the winter months of October to January due to plummeting temperatures,

The GRAP 3 curbs in Delhi include ban on demolition and construction activities, and entry of certain vehicles inside Delhi-NCR, among other curbs, to prevent further deterioration of air quality.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) made the decision to elevate the response to GRAP Stage 3 due to Delhi's AQI consistently surpassing 400, accompanied by heavy smog that has reduced visibility to nearly zero.

Delhi's air quality dipped to 'severe' with an AQI of 428, prompting the government to enforce stricter pollution control measures under GRAP Stage 2. Environment Minister Gopal Rai attributed the deteriorating air quality to calm winds and lower temperatures,

Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that strict pollution control measures would be enforced if the air quality, which plunged to 'severe' on Wednesday, worsens. He attributed the situation to calm winds and low temperatures trapping pollutants.

With the drop in wind speed in Delhi, as temperature dropped in the early hours of Wednesday, the two factors combined to create the noxious smog

With 'severe' pollution levels, Delhi is now the second most polluted city globally, behind Pakistan's Lahore, with an air quality index of 1,399