Improvement in air quality and a decrease in traffic on roads are among the unintended consequences of measures taken against the spread of coronavirus.?
Post lockdowns, a drastic decrease in pollution levels was reported from China, Italy and now from various cities in the US.?On March 22, there was a janata curfew in India, a trial run of sorts to get a sense of what was to come starting March 25, the nationwide lockdown.
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Sunday saw almost no traffic on India's traffucked roads owing to the nationwide lockdown. Air pollution levels plummeted in India.?
The average pollution level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a dangerous pollutant responsible for thousands of deaths every year was really low.?
National capital breathed clean air after a long time and the AQI remained under 93. Given that the entire country is to stay indoors, for at least 20 more days, this will be a ¡®normal¡¯.?
As construction work has been put to halt and all factories and industries involved in the manufacture of non-essential goods are shut too. Traffic is also at its lowest currently.?
What the country saw on March 22--empty roads and better air quality--will continue for sometime as a ¡®side effect¡¯ of coronavirus lockdown.?
As of 2020, India was set to be ranked as the world¡¯s third most polluted country in the world where thousands die every year because of air pollution. The coronavirus lockdown will contribute in slowing down the massive amounts of greenhouse gases that are released in the atmosphere everyday.?