Page 7 - DREAM 2047 Jan 2020

COVID-19,
the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has
been identified as a global pandemic. On the one hand, its outbreak has become one of the biggest threats to the life of people and the global economy, on the other hand, it has had quite a few positive impacts on the environment, primarily due to several restrictive measures like complete lockdowns imposed on all kinds of anthropogenic activities, except essential services during the early phase, which has reduced the human footprint considerably. It is also true that the actual measurable quantitative impacts are not very clear as yet. Key environmental indices related to air and water quality and biodiversity, which have been deteriorating
during the past several years, have
dramatically improved. Though these may
have been short-term environmental gains,
the period has taught us about the green social
behaviour and responsibilities. Stringent eco-
friendly efforts are needed to be carried out
to maintain the environmental gains of the
lockdown. Besides, there is an urgent need to
organise mass campaigns on issues relating
to environmental awareness to uphold the momentum, which the nature has reset for mankind.
It is now widely acknowledged that the impact of human activities on environment is significant and will have serious consequences for future generations. India is one of the world’s 17 ‘mega-diverse’ countries with only 2.4% of the world's land area. But it accounts for about 7-8% of all recorded species, including over 50,000 species of plants and one lakh species of animals. It also has a high level of endemism in species distribution. Of the 35 biodiversity hotspots in the world, India accounts for four.
India is known for a wide range of ecosystems and their myriad biodiversity due to its varied bio-physical environments. Besides, the country is endowed with a diverse range of biological resources due to the presence of different bio-geographic regions. On the one hand, the Indian Himalayan region is spread over 5 lakh km2 and on the other, the vast coastline stretches over 7,517 km. However, fragmentation of habitats, unsustainable land-use practices and habitat loss, climate change and rise in the level of pollution are some major threats, negatively influencing India’s rich biodiversity.
Spread of the coronavirus pandemic has created an emergency situation all across the country and compelled the Government to impose a long lockdown to restrict its rapid spread at community level. Industries, companies, schools and colleges-everything was shut down for about two months. It stopped all modes of transportation. All these actions caused
a huge economic loss across the world. Unfortunately, some people lost their lives, some lost jobs and some struggled for earning their daily meals during the period. While the lockdown has been a crisis for humans, it has proved to be an elixir for nature. Magnificent impact of the lockdown on the environment has been visible across the country.
Improvements in the air quality
There has been another aspect of the coronavirus pandemic that made the whole human race realise that they are not the only driving force on earth. The lockdown has restored nature in a way we have never seen before during the last several decades. Due to stringent travel restrictions, shutting down of the industries and halting of all kinds of commercial
and construction activities, the impact of air quality improvements has been clearly visible. Carbon emissions sharply fell during the lockdown and the levels of harmful pollutants like suspended particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, NO2 and SO2 in the air also dropped sharply.
Satellite data has also authenticated the fact that there was a substantial decrease in the level of suspended particulate matter
after the lockdown over most of the parts of the country. The Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has also pointed out that multi-spectral measurements of aerosol absorption indicated that the drastic decrease in pollution levels was mainly due to a reduction in fossil fuel burning emissions. A study titled ‘Effect of lockdown amid COVID-19 pandemic on air quality of the megacity Delhi’, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, has revealed that PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and NO2 and CO levels in the air of NCT of Delhi have considerably fallen as compared to pre-lockdown period and the air quality has improved considerably. The satellite data of the European Space Agency also revealed similar data, which indicated that there has been a significant reduction in NO2 levels during the lockdown period.
Improvements in the water bodies
There has also been considerable improvement in the water
quality of our rivers and oceans after the lockdown, especially
in terms of dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as compared to the
pre-lockdown period. During the lockdown, the release of the
industrial wastes into the oceans and rivers was stopped, which
brought a significant change in the water quality. Even the water
of River Ganges in Rishikesh and Haridwar was found suitable
for drinking after chlorination, for the first time in decades.
Our aquatic life was suffering from the negative consequences
Krishna Tulsi
january2021/dream2047 7