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NEW DELHI: India’s prolonged closure to stem the coronavirus outbreak has closed schools, workplaces, industries, transportation, and forced people to stay at home.
It also led to an unexpected bonus in the country with six out of 10 of the world’s most polluted cities: cleaner air.
“It’s a big change,” said Kunal Chopra, who suffers from chronic bronchitis and whose morning walks no longer start with an injection of an inhaler. “The air is much cooler and my breathing problems have decreased.”
Coronavirus outbreak: full coverage
Read our coronavirus blog live for the latest news and updates
India represents the highest pollution-related deaths in the world with more than 2 million people, according to a December 2019 report from the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.
On March 25, the first day of closure, average PM 2.5 levels decreased by 22% and nitrogen dioxide, which comes from burning fossil fuels, decreased by 15%, according to analyzed air pollution data. by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“These are extraordinary times,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Center for Science and Environment, a research and defense organization in New Delhi. She attributed the drop in air pollutants to fewer highway vehicles, construction activities, and closed factories.
“People are more vulnerable during a pandemic in areas with high contamination,” he said. “Our lungs and hearts are already compromised and we cannot fight the virus.”
More about Covid-19
India has reported almost 20,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 600 deaths.
Strict blockade measures to be lifted on May 3 have also had an effect on India’s rivers.
Images of the crystal clear waters of the Ganges, the longest river in India considered sacred by Hindus, were enthusiastically shared on social media a few weeks after the closure. India’s pollution monitoring body said the water had even become suitable for bathing in some areas, according to real-time monitors located along the 2,575-kilometer (1,600-mile) long river.
A recent analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Board found that the quality of the Yamuna River that flows throughout New Delhi has also improved during closure. The report cited a decrease in runoff from 28 industry groups and less garbage.
“The closure has clearly told us what the main sources of pollution are,” said Vimlendu Jha, an environmentalist and founder of Swechha, a nongovernmental organization that helps young people fight climate change. “Effluents are forced into our river bodies, and that is the main reason why our rivers are black.”
Jha and other experts caution that environmental improvements may be short-lived as the government finally lifts the shutdown and rampant economic activity resumes.
“How did a blockade for a few weeks accomplish what governments failed for decades?” said Jha, who believes authorities should study the data collected during the shutdown to come up with better environmental policies.
Roychowdhury suggested that private workplaces that switched their online work during lockdown should institutionalize work from home to consider the impact of commuting on air pollution.
But that is not everyone.
Ashok Mandal, a scrawny rickshaw driver in New Delhi, spends hours scanning the streets for a passenger. Find none. Accustomed to making at least 400 rupees ($ 5) each day transporting passengers in a residential neighborhood, his income has been reduced to a mere 70 rupees ($ 1) to collect and deliver groceries.
“Clean air doesn’t mean anything to me,” said Mandal. “I’m just trying to do it every day.”
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It also led to an unexpected bonus in the country with six out of 10 of the world’s most polluted cities: cleaner air.
“It’s a big change,” said Kunal Chopra, who suffers from chronic bronchitis and whose morning walks no longer start with an injection of an inhaler. “The air is much cooler and my breathing problems have decreased.”
Coronavirus outbreak: full coverage
Read our coronavirus blog live for the latest news and updates
India represents the highest pollution-related deaths in the world with more than 2 million people, according to a December 2019 report from the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.
On March 25, the first day of closure, average PM 2.5 levels decreased by 22% and nitrogen dioxide, which comes from burning fossil fuels, decreased by 15%, according to analyzed air pollution data. by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“These are extraordinary times,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Center for Science and Environment, a research and defense organization in New Delhi. She attributed the drop in air pollutants to fewer highway vehicles, construction activities, and closed factories.
“People are more vulnerable during a pandemic in areas with high contamination,” he said. “Our lungs and hearts are already compromised and we cannot fight the virus.”
More about Covid-19
India has reported almost 20,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and more than 600 deaths.
Strict blockade measures to be lifted on May 3 have also had an effect on India’s rivers.
Images of the crystal clear waters of the Ganges, the longest river in India considered sacred by Hindus, were enthusiastically shared on social media a few weeks after the closure. India’s pollution monitoring body said the water had even become suitable for bathing in some areas, according to real-time monitors located along the 2,575-kilometer (1,600-mile) long river.
A recent analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Board found that the quality of the Yamuna River that flows throughout New Delhi has also improved during closure. The report cited a decrease in runoff from 28 industry groups and less garbage.
“The closure has clearly told us what the main sources of pollution are,” said Vimlendu Jha, an environmentalist and founder of Swechha, a nongovernmental organization that helps young people fight climate change. “Effluents are forced into our river bodies, and that is the main reason why our rivers are black.”
Jha and other experts caution that environmental improvements may be short-lived as the government finally lifts the shutdown and rampant economic activity resumes.
“How did a blockade for a few weeks accomplish what governments failed for decades?” said Jha, who believes authorities should study the data collected during the shutdown to come up with better environmental policies.
Roychowdhury suggested that private workplaces that switched their online work during lockdown should institutionalize work from home to consider the impact of commuting on air pollution.
But that is not everyone.
Ashok Mandal, a scrawny rickshaw driver in New Delhi, spends hours scanning the streets for a passenger. Find none. Accustomed to making at least 400 rupees ($ 5) each day transporting passengers in a residential neighborhood, his income has been reduced to a mere 70 rupees ($ 1) to collect and deliver groceries.
“Clean air doesn’t mean anything to me,” said Mandal. “I’m just trying to do it every day.”
