For the first time
in 30 years, India’
s snow-covered
Dhauladhar
mountain range
has become
visible to locals.
Thanks to plunging
air pollution levels,
resulting from the
COVID-19 shutdowns.
Former Indian cricket
player Harbhajan Singh,
wrote:
"Never seen
Dhauladar range
from my home
rooftop in Jalandhar.
Never could imagine
that’s possible.
A clear indication
of the impact
the pollution
has done by us
to mother earth.”
Anti-pollution activist
Sant Balbir Singh
Seeechewal said:
“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.”
India's 1.3 billion
residents are under
a strict nationwide
lockdown since
March 22.
Auto company
executive Rajiv Bajaj
argued:
“Virtually no country
has imposed such
a sweeping lockdown
as India has;
I continue to believe
this makes India weak
rather than stronger
in combating
the epidemic.”
The lockdown
shut factories,
marketplaces,
small shops,
places of worship,
most public
transportation and
construction projects.
Before the shutdown,
21 of the world’s 30
most polluted cities
were in India.
With most industry
shut down, air pollution
has declined to very
low levels.
India's capital New Delhi
has seen a 71% plunge
of microscopic particulate
matter known as PM 2.5.
Nitrogen dioxide
from vehicle traffic
and power plants
has also fallen by 71%,
from 52 per cubic meter
to 15 in the same period.