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.

Thick and toxic smog shrouds India's cities and tourist sites:: November 15, 2024:: New Delhi, India"There are a lot of problems due to pollution. The elderly have difficulty breathing. We get symptoms such as sore throat,

By Sakshi Dayal NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Toxic smog obscured India's famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, as well as Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and delayed flights on Thursday,

A dense smog blanketed the Taj Mahal in Agra on Thursday as pollution levels surged, obscuring the iconic monument from view. Tourists captured visuals showing the Taj Mahal nearly invisible behind the haze. Visitors were seen approaching the monument with minimal visibility ahead, NDTV reported.

Traffic passes by on a road as the sky is enveloped with smog after Delhi's air quality was classified as "hazardous" amidst severe air pollution, in New Delhi, India, November 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis) They also include a ban on non-essential construction and an appeal to citizens to use more public transport and avoid using coal and wood for heating,

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.

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Pakistan's Lahore remained the world's most polluted city, while visibility in parts of northern India fell to zero. In India, the smog was so thick it caused flight delays and blocked views of the Taj Mahal,