New Delhi (NVI): As the country is under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, several cities, including Delhi have been reporting decrease in air pollution levels from past few days.
According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the impact of the recent lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak has led to drop in PM 2.5 by 30 per cent in Delhi and by 15 per cent in Ahmedabad and Pune.
Whereas, the level of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) pollution, which increases the risk of respiratory conditions, has also reduced.
As per the report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), presently the air quality in Delhi is in the ‘good’ category, Kanpur’s air quality is in the ‘satisfactory’ category.
As many as 92 other cities with CPCB monitoring centres have recorded minimal air pollution, with the air quality in the range of ‘good’ to ‘satisfactory’.
Meanwhile, Delhi experienced its best air quality over the weekend, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 45 on Saturday and 47 on Sunday. The AQI in the capital stood at 159 just a week ago.
On Sunday, PM 2.5 level also plummeted to 31 in Lodhi Road, the India Meteorological Department said. In Gurugram it was 36, 26 in Chandni Chowk, and 50 in Noida.
Pune saw this level reduced by 43 per cent, Mumbai witnessed it drop by 38 per cent, and Ahmedabad by 50 per cent.
The dramatic improvement in air quality is mainly due to almost no vehicular traffic and even less construction activities.
