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.

Residents in India's northern states woke up to another day of poor air quality on Tuesday, as a layer of dense fog shrouded most of the region, and pollution in the capital Delhi remained severe.

India's pollution control authority has classified the air in Delhi as "severe plus", after the city passed 450 according to its measurements on Monday morning.

In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit. Forecasts say the poor air quality will continue into the week.

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