The view from Pathankot, India, usually doesn’t include the Himalayas due to the high pollution levels there, but that has changed as these levels have dropped to a large degree. This is due to people being on lockdown in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus threatening lives around the world. Residents in northern India can see the majestic Himalayas that are 200 kilometers away for the first time in 30 years.
India has been on lockdown for 21 days and its Central Pollution Board says that there has been a “significant improvement in air quality.” Mr. Seechewal, an advocate who has been trying to raise awareness of environmental pollution for over 30 years, told SBS Hindi that, “We can see the snow-covered mountains clearly from our roofs. And not just that, stars are visible at night. I have never seen anything like this in recent times.”
CNN reported that Delhi saw up to a 44% reduction in PM10 air pollution levels on the first day of its restrictions. PM10 stands for airborne particulates 10 micrometers or smaller in diameter. The report also said that 85 cities across India saw significantly less air pollution in the first week since of lockdown — naturally.
The air quality of Jalandhar, which is more than 100 miles away from the Himalayas, has been measured as “good” on the country’s national index for 16 of the 17 days since their lockdown.
Harbhajan Singh, a former Indian cricketer, said in a tweet that, “Never seen Dhauladar range from my home rooftop in Jalandhar..never could imagine that’s possible…clear indication of the impact the pollution has done by us to Mother Earth…This is the view.”
In a country of nearly 1.4 billion people, being on lockdown has made an incredible difference on the air. Mr. Seechewal told SBS Hindi, “Not just normal traffic is off the roads, but most industry is also shut down. This has helped bring the pollution level to unbelievably low levels.”
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