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With the closure decreed to fight the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the inhabitants of New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, rediscover a blue sky as well as less polluted air.
For a month, industries have not worked, the construction works are stopped and the number of cars on the streets dropped dramatically, with which the classic traffic jams disappeared.
A sudden interruption of activity that allowed a progressive improvement in air quality.
“We have never had such clean air”Anumita Roychowdhury, one of the directors of the New Delhi Center for Science and Environment, told AFP.
“It is an incredible experience, but we have to learn from it,” he said.
Pollution control agencies in India observe a significant decrease in air pollution in the megalopolis, from 20 million inhabitants, At this time of year.
This Wednesday, Earth Day, the American embassy in New Delhi registered an average concentration of PM2.5 fine particles of 46 micrograms per cubic meter (μg / m3).
Although this concentration represents almost double the threshold recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 25 μg / m3 in 24 hours, constitutes, however, a good news for the capital, which reaches appalling highs during the winter.
“It is like the Delhi of 20 or 30 years ago“Commented Krishna Singh, an official. “It is a pity that we are barely allowed to go out and enjoy it,” he lamented.
Many other Indian cities are also experiencing considerable improvements in their environment.
In the northern Punjab state, Jalandhar residents posted photos on social media in which you could see the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, usually hidden behind the dust and fog of contamination.
Ganges water has also been sanitized greatly due to disruption of activity along this sacred river, a public agency indicated.
“The pandemic teaches us that we must raise the level of respect and application of our air purification programs ”, stressed Anumita Roychowdhury.
“I am proud that, in some way, the people have understood the value of clean air and I hope this creates a movement to keep it that way, “he concluded.
