While the world is caught up in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, it seems like the lockdown has incurred some positive effects on the environment. India is breathing cleaner air amid lockdown. By Kumar Shree
We have already told you how animals are moving around more freely in urban areas in our country. Remember the story on the return of the Olive Ridley Turtles to Odisha’s beaches amid lockdown? We’ve also told you how Wuhan got rid of its pollution woes, Venice’s canals cleared up on their own, and New York City observed a 50 per cent decline in carbon monoxide levels.
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All of these positives have one common thread — the lockdown. Yes, it seems like the Coronavirus pandemic is proving to be a blessing in disguise for nature. The Earth is rejuvenating, replenishing, and healing rapidly.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its new assessment has found that the Air Quality Index (AQI) for India has shown a dramatic improvement. The assessment observes this improvement for the first time on the day of Janta Curfew, March 22. It’s further getting better since the beginning of the lockdown from March 25. The AQI has drastically improved for the larger part of India including the Indo-Gangetic plain and Delhi NCR. The industrial cities, however, show no such improvement.
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The CPCB assessment observed that no Indian cities were in the poor AQI category as on March 29. PM10 and PM2.5 came down by around 35 to 40 per cent in Delhi. Out of the cities located in the Indo-Gangetic plain 17 moved to the ‘Satisfactory’ category and 7 to the ‘Good’ category.
Related: Here’s How The Coronavirus Lockdown Is Affecting The Environment (In A Positive Way)
