A court in India has ordered 'work from home' due to pollution in the capital.

The order comes after Delhi authorities closed schools in an effort to reduce hazardous air pollution in the capital region.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered that offices in the capital and surrounding cities be closed, allowing millions of people to work from home as officials seek ways to reduce hazardous air pollution that has forced school closures.

Its order on Monday came after city officials in New Delhi, which has been dealing with a toxic haze since early November, declared an emergency on Saturday, ordering the closure of schools and halting construction work for four days.

"We direct the center and states of the national capital region to impose work from home in the interim," said Chief Justice NV Ramana, who presided over a panel of three judges hearing a petition from a city resident.

On Monday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was 343 on a scale of 500, indicating "very poor" conditions that can cause respiratory illness with prolonged exposure. Late last week, the capital experienced severe weather as temperatures dropped and the index reached 499.

The AQI rose to 451 on a scale of 500 following the Hindu festival of Diwali in the first week of this month, when firecrackers were lit across India.

The AQI measures the amount of poisonous particulate matter (PM2.5) in one cubic meter of air. Anything above 100 is regarded as unhealthy.