SDG Blog #7: COVID-19 Lockdown Inhibits Continual Air Pollution in India

 COVID-19 Lockdown Inhibits Continual Air Pollution in India

The regions of India are home to some of the earliest civilizations known to mankind. Unlike other countries in South Asia, India is one of the largest areas in the world and supports the world's second highest population size of around 1.3 billion people (Central Intelligence Agency, 2018). Air and water pollution is a major concern for India. New Delhi, the capital of India, captures this environmental issue as the city is a top contributor to nitrogen dioxide emissions. The air quality declines as a result of burning copious amounts of gas and other fuels by industries and motor vehicles. In addition, the weak management of human waste and poorly disposed agricultural pesticides are two main causes of water pollution. Furthermore, this blog attempts to discuss recent observations in air pollution subsequent to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

What we inhale plays an important role in how our bodies function. Although the eyes, mouth, and nose are not able to detect certain harms within the air, our internal organs are especially sensitive to the particles we ingest. Ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter causes health concerns such as “...stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases(World Health Organization, 2020). We are putting the status of our health at risk with each breath we take. 

Air pollution is a major environmental challenge in India, however, there has been a major reduction in gas emissions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The entire country of India went into lockdown with the exception of “...essential services such as hospitals, water distribution, and electricity production were exempted during the lock-down.” (Shehzad, K., Sarfraz, M., & Shah, S, 2020). A great amount of the Indian population is restricted from going to work. Furthermore, factories, buildings, and shops are not having to use resources to operate as previously measured. During this time of personal isolation, India has seen a decline in motor vehicle operations and traffic flow has greatly lightened. This safety mandate to reduce the spread of COVID-19 majorly reduced nitrogen dioxide emissions in India. The improvement of air quality in India is also advantageous to surrounding countries. 

Works Cited

Central Intelligence Agency. (2018, February 01). The World Factbook: India. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

Shehzad, K., Sarfraz, M., & Shah, S. (2020, November). The impact of COVID-19 as a necessary evil on air pollution in India during the lockdown. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezp.twu.edu/science/article/pii/S0269749120332887

Transportation, S. (2020, June 1). The Importance of Clean Air: The connection between transportation, air pollution, and health. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://greenactioncentre.ca/clean-energy-environment/the-importance-of-clean-air/

World Health Organization. (2020). Ambient air pollution. Retrieved November 15, 2020, from https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-and-health/ambient-air-pollution