India saw a significant drop in pollution rate during Covid-19
Covid-19, which was declared as a global pandemic by the WHO, caused a significant drop in the pollution levels world-wide. Especially in India, where the country ranked 3rd in the list of world’s most polluted countries, a steep drop in the air pollution level was noted.
India accounts for 7 out of 10 most polluted cities in the world, with Delhi leading the charts at number 3. But, the country-wide lockdown since March 25th 2020, to contain the spread of the novel corona virus, changed the pollution charts to a great extent.
Apart from Mumbai, most cities in India recorded a fall in the pollution levels, starting April 2020. A study comparing the level of pollution in April 2019 (shown in red) and May 2020 (shown in blue), gives a complete picture of how the pollution rates dropped.
The lockdown has not only led to a fall in the pollution rate, it has also given a chance to rivers and lakes to breathe. As people have been confined to their homes and have been unable to pollute, water bodies have had a chance to be clean again. Rivers and lakes that were always seen with black water and rotten trash, are now appearing to be clean with less to no signs of pollutants.
A report by the Quint with Environmentalist Leo Sardana, said that even though real water tests haven’t been done to check the pollution level of water, the very appearance of the water bodies shows the drastic change that the lockdown has caused.
Bangalore’s only river Vrishabhavathi, which was mostly covered in foam (caused by surfacants, a compound released when trash degenerates in water decreasing surface tension, allowing air to mix with the water and form bubble which appear as natural foam) and garbage, has appeared to be cleaner compared to the past decade.
Covid-19 has caused havoc worldwide, but it has also given a chance to Mother Nature to breathe again. The alarming rates of pollution can well be controlled in the future if more stringent environmental laws are put in place and people are more cautious of the waste that they produce.
Sources : https://rb.gy/0zcwtn — read more on what Environmentalists have to say
https://rb.gy/hnuemz — read more on how lock-down has affected the environment and public spaces
https://rb.gy/eecaww — read more on India’s world ranking in terms of pollution
