• COVID-19 cases in the tropical regions were relatively lower than the European & American regions. • Observed a substantial reduction in NO 2 , low reduction in CO, and low to moderate reduction in AOD • High COVID-19 hazard (AH: 4 to 9 g m −3) in major of the globe during April-July 2020 • Northern Hemisphere may be more susceptible compared to tropical regions in May-July 2020. • Tropical regions may be comparatively more prone to outbreaks in October-November 2020.

Tropical cyclone “Amphan” developed as a super cyclone on 19 May 2020 and caused severe impact on the landmass with very high torrential precipitation (>250 mm day −1 ), and extremely high wind speed (>150 km h −1 ) after landfall on 20 May 2020. The tropical cyclone Amphan largely affected agricultural land (78.2%) and forest, including mangroves (10.8%) in eastern India and Bangladesh. The built-up area over the trajectory of the cyclone and its proximity, including eastern parts of the Kolkata metropolitan area, was considerably affected by the cyclone due to the high population density and poor structural and community planning. Although the regions with close proximities to cyclones’ trajectory (2033 km 2 area under <2 km proximity) were affected severely, the presence of mangrove forest in Sundarban substantially reduced the magnitude of the tropical cyclone. A considerable decrease (~30%) in aerosol optical depth (AOD) in April–May 2020 as compared to that in 2019 is considered one of the major causes of the development of the warm pool and cyclogenesis in the Bay of Bengal. The number of COVID-19 cases increased by ~70% in the post-cyclonic period (29 May 2020) compared to that in the pre-cyclonic period (19 May 2020) illustrating the impact of the cyclonic hazard.

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The present study focused on the recent flood inundation (July 2020) that occurred in the lower Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains (IGBP) using concurrent C-band Sentinel-1A Synthetic Aperture Radar images in Google Earth Engine. The study exhibited that a substantial proportion of IGBP (40,929 km 2) was inundated primarily in Bangladesh (9.09% of the total inundation), Assam (8.99%), and Bihar (6.29%) during June-July 2020. The severe impact of flood inundation was observed in croplands (4.41% of the total cropland), followed by settlements (20.98% of the total settlements) that affected a large population (~ 10,046,262) in IGBP. The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has debilitated the efforts of mitigation and responses to flooding risks. The study necessitates adopting an integrated, multi-hazard, multi-stakeholder approach with an emphasis on self-reliance of the community for sustenance with local resources and practices.

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Keeping aside the economic consequences, the imposition of strict lockdown in order to break the chain of deadly infection of SARS-CoV-2, has potentially improved the global environmental quality by facilitating a significant reduction in atmospheric pollution. In the present study, the level of atmospheric pollutants in India viz., NO2, AOD, and PM2.5 before and during lockdown 2020 were assessed and compared using standard methods. The study revealed a significant reduction in NO2 i.e., >10% change in 73.71% parts in India along with a high negative anomaly of AOD (<-1.0 in 32.92% parts in India) primarily in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, western, southern, and eastern parts during the lockdown. The five megacities observed a sharp decline in the daily mean concentration of PM2.5 (ca. 32% (Delhi) to 59.62% (Bengaluru) during the lockdown 2020 as compared to the analogous period of lockdown in 2019. The study exhibited the very less contribution of seasonal and meteorological variables in the abatement of pollution during the lockdown period. The findings may be useful in guiding future strategies to maintain environmental quality by adopting a well-planned lockdown strategy.