Lockdown clears up India’s air

India is home to 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. But recently air pollution levels have started to drop as India is in lockdown.

Lockdown in India

The lockdown order shuts down offices, schools, movie theaters, malls, markets and “non-essential” service providers. All modes of public transport such as metro trains, buses, inter-state trains and domestic have also been stopped. It gave major changes in the pollution in the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore.

The complete shutdown of India’s economy was designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. It has a health benefit of clearing the air that millions of people were choking on.

“It is true that pollution levels are going down and will continue to be lower as a result of lockdown,” told by Pawan Gupta, the senior scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

Pollution in major cities

Himachal Pradesh
In an unexpected but pleasant turn of events, Himachal Pradesh’s Dhauladhar range became visible to the residents of Punjab’s Jalandhar. The snow-clad peaks were a sight to behold as pollution levels dipped remarkably across the two states.

Pollution Particle

   Since PM 2.5 are so small and light, fine particles tend to stay longer in the air than heavier particles. This increases the chances of humans and animals inhaling them into the bodies. Owing to their minute size, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers.

PM 2.5, which is smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, is considered particularly dangerous. It can lodge deep into the lungs and pass into other organs and the bloodstream, causing serious health risks.

pollution level

Already, data shows that the main cities are recording much lower levels of harmful microscopic particulate matter known as PM 2.5. And of nitrogen dioxide, which is released by vehicles and power plants.

“During the first three weeks of March, the average nitrogen dioxide levels declined by 40-50% in the cities of Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad, compared with the same period in 2018 and 2019”, said Gufran Beig, a scientist with the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) under India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Delhi

       There was a remarked improvement in air quality, as the harmful PM10 and PM2.5 levels were down by 35-40% in Delhi. This drop was attributed to the restriction of the particulate matter and NOx concentration levels. Anything above 25 is considered unsafe, according to the World Health Organization.

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