It’s been close to 4 months, since the announcement of a nationwide lockdown. Though the nation has already entered the unlock phase, several parts of the country are still under lockdown. Kerala, which had managed to score well against Covid during the initial phases, is experiencing a spike in the cases, and several parts of the state are under lockdown. That said, the lockdown has been quite beneficial for the environment and nature. Reports suggest that the level of air pollution in Kerala, has dropped dramatically. Statistics indicating that, along with other major cities in India, the air pollution of Kerala has halved.
The figures released by the Central Pollution Control Board, among 120 cities in India, happened to have included the following cities from Kerala – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Kannur. The study has shown some striking results as all the cities have excelled in the air quality index. In Thiruvananthapuram the PM2.5 index stood at 13.7 microgram, as against the 36.4, before the introduction of lockdown. On the other hand, the PM10 value registered 34.7, when measured after the lockdown, as against the 60.2 microgram before the introduction of lockdown. Incidentally, the values across various parameters in Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam and Kannur have all dropped by half.
