There have been 184,465 hospital admissions this week alone.

Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying says schools will be told to close in the event of an API reading of 200 and above.

Seberang Jaya had an air pollutant index reading of 151 as of 10am.

The concentration of fine particulates in the air in Beijing is currently 46.2 times the World Health Organization's annual air quality guideline value.

More than 1.3 million people have fallen sick in the kingdom since the start of the year as a result of air pollution, with nearly 200,000 admitted to hospital this week alone.

Residents in the capital have been waking up in recent weeks to hazy mornings with the sky a shade of grey.

The world's most polluted capital is blanketed in smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from the burning of crop residues ahead of the new crop season.

Delhi has suspended most construction and demolition activities, predicting a worsening of its air quality because of calmer winds and other meteorological conditions.

Small carmakers producing less than 10,000 vehicles per year can negotiate weaker targets until 2036, when they will face the zero-emission requirement.

Delhi is the world's most polluted capital and its air becomes particularly bad from mid-December to February as heavy, cold air traps dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from burning crop stubble in states like Punjab and Haryana.

People caught setting off firecrackers will face a fine of 200 Indian rupees and jail of up to six months.

The ban will remain in force until Jan 1.