India breathes better with humans confined to homes

A month ago, when China locked down major regions owing to a spike in coronavirus cases, pollution in the country had since dipped significantly. India went into lockdown from March 25, and much like China, its air quality is also improving, amid rising number of Covid-19 cases.

India Today Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) scanned air quality data in major Indian cities and found that from March 16-27, the air quality index improved by 33 per cent on an average in the country.

Data shows that on an average, Indian cities had an AQI of 115 between March 16 and 24. Air quality started showing improvements from the first day of the 21-day lockdown. The average AQI fell to 75 in the first three days of the lockdown.

Industrial areas paint rosy picture

The major change was witnessed in the industrial cities of northern India where AQI dropped by more than 50 per cent.

Bhiwadi, an industrial hub in Rajasthan, witnessed the maximum improvement in air quality. Bhiwadi had an average AQI of 207 which is poor according to AQI standards. In the lockdown days, its AQI averaged 42 - an 80 percent improvement in air quality.

Bhiwadi is followed by Mandi Gobindgarh, the steel city of Punjab. AQI in the city averaged 117 before the lockdown and it dropped to 42 during the lockdown period, improving the air quality by 64 per cent.

Haryana's corporate and industrial hubs of Gurugram and Manesar were on the same page.

AQI in Gurugram before the lockdown was 154, and during the lockdows was 57. Likewise, the AQI averaged 123 in Manesar before the lockdown and dropped to 46 during this period. Air quality in both these cities improved by 63 per cent.

Other industrial cities such as Ghaziabad (57 per cent) and Noida (54 per cent) in Uttar Pradesh; Yamunanagar (53 per cent), Faridabad (51 per cent), Bahadurgarh (61 per cent) and Ballabhgarh (50 per cent) in Haryana; Khanna (54) in Punjab; and Mandideep (52 per cent) in Madhya Pradesh also witnessed more than 50 per cent improvement in air quality.

Metropolises show major improvement

Delhi, whose pollution levels make international headlines every year, is also breathing better air during the lockdown period. Delhi's AQI averaged 162 before the lockdown which dropped to 79 during this period - an improvement of 51 per cent.

Similarly, Mumbai and Kolkata, which had an AQI above 100 (moderate), also witnessed a drop during the lockdown period. Air quality in Mumbai improved by 31 per cent and in Kolkata by 2 per cent.

An Indian bison also made an entry in a market in Karnataka during this period.

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