Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the air quality of three megacities in India

Mandal, Jayatra; Samanta, Sourav; Chanda, Abhra; Halder, Saswati

doi:10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105659

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Post-LD concentrations remained lower in 2020 in the study area except in Ghaziabad, which displays a minor rise of about 2.87%. This study results exhibited a range of values comparable with the range of changes reported in India (CPCB, 2021;Bera et al, 2021;Das et al, 2021a, b;Gautam et al, 2021;Mandal et al, 2021;Ravindra et al, 2021;Saxena & Raj, 2021).…”

Section: Comparison With the Previous Year (2019)supporting

confidence: 89%

Influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport and biomass burning on PM2.5 of three north Indian cities: phase-wise analysis of the COVID-19 lockdown

Arunkumar¹,

Dhanakumar²

2021

Environ Monit Assess

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we assessed the influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport, and biomass burning on PM 2.5 using Google's mobility data, back trajectory model, and satellite-based fire incident data. Average PM 2.5 concentrations in Ghaziabad, Noida, and Faridabad decreased by 60.70%, 63.27%, and 60.40%, respectively, during the lockdown. When compared with the preceding year (2019), the reductions during the shutdown period (25 March-31 May) were within the range of 36.34-44.55%. However, considering the entire year, this reduction in PM 2.5 is momentary, and a steady increase in traffic density and industrial operations within cities during post-lockdown reflects a potent recovery of aerosol level, during which the average mass of PM 2.5 three-to four-folds higher than the lockdown period. Back trajectories and fire activity results showed that biomass burning in the nearby states (Haryana and Punjab) influence aerosol load. We conclude that a partial lockdown in the event of a sudden surge in pollution would be a beneficial approach. However, reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to more environmentally friendly energy sources, developing green transport networks, and circumventing biomass burning are efficient ways to improve air quality in the long term.

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Section: Comparison With the Previous Year (2019)supporting

confidence: 89%

Influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport and biomass burning on PM2.5 of three north Indian cities: phase-wise analysis of the COVID-19 lockdown

Arunkumar¹,

Dhanakumar²

2021

Environ Monit Assess

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“…Besides the direct impacts on air quality [76] and greenhouse gas reduction [63], the pandemic can also be seen as an example of successful mobilization of the global community to mitigate and adapt to a shared but locally differentiated global crisis [77,78]. Response to the pandemic threat has shown that the world can act swiftly and in unity to tackle an urgent global challenge and is willing to adopt financial and social costs in order to contain the spread of the virus, with responsibility for others [79].…”

Section: Pandemic and Climate Change: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pandemic, War, and Global Energy Transitions

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have impacted the global economy, including the energy sector. The pandemic caused drastic fluctuations in energy demand, oil price shocks, disruptions in energy supply chains, and hampered energy investments, while the war left the world with energy price hikes and energy security challenges. The long-term impacts of these crises on low-carbon energy transitions and mitigation of climate change are still uncertain but are slowly emerging. This paper analyzes the impacts throughout the energy system, including upstream fuel supply, renewable energy investments, demand for energy services, and implications for energy equity, by reviewing recent studies and consulting experts in the field. We find that both crises initially appeared as opportunities for low-carbon energy transitions: the pandemic by showing the extent of lifestyle and behavioral change in a short period and the role of science-based policy advice, and the war by highlighting the need for greater energy diversification and reliance on local, renewable energy sources. However, the early evidence suggests that policymaking worldwide is focused on short-term, seemingly quicker solutions, such as supporting the incumbent energy industry in the post-pandemic era to save the economy and looking for new fossil fuel supply routes for enhancing energy security following the war. As such, the fossil fuel industry may emerge even stronger after these energy crises creating new lock-ins. This implies that the public sentiment against dependency on fossil fuels may end as a lost opportunity to translate into actions toward climate-friendly energy transitions, without ambitious plans for phasing out such fuels altogether. We propose policy recommendations to overcome these challenges toward achieving resilient and sustainable energy systems, mostly driven by energy services

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“…During the lockdown, PM2.5, PM10, and CO levels in Delhi fell by 52 percent, 39 percent, and 13 percent, respectively. In the post-lockdown period, these pollutants showed the same decreasing pattern, with 4 percent, 4 percent, and 12 percent for Delhi [46].…”

Section: Influence Of Lockdown Imposed During Covid-19 On Air Qualitymentioning

confidence: 80%

Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case Study

Sharma

Hooda²,

Gupta³

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Air pollution is among the world’s major environmental concerns. It remains a major health threat in India and is the leading environmental cause of morbidity in the country. There is considerable evidence that heavy and prolonged exposure to several air contaminants increases the cancer risk. The prevalence of breast cancer in citified environments with high exposure to air pollution has been seen to be elevated. Among various Indian cities, the Delhi cancer registry is having a high breast cancer incidence (28.6%). Owing to the recent and unprecedented global outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19), India is exploring every possible way of controlling its vigorous human transmission. Work from home culture is adopted so as to maintain social distancing during the lockdown. This momentary stoppage is substantially reducing the level of air pollution in several city areas across India dramatically. This paper (i) Overviews the breast cancer and air pollution association; (ii) Compiles the air quality data of Delhi monitored by CPCB during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown time and compares it with pre-lockdown air quality data; (iii) Explores the reduced threat of breast cancer in Delhi during the nationwide lockdown. This work concluded that Air pollution serves a significant part in breast cancer occurrence. The countrywide lockdown in an attempt to prevent Covid-19 transmission has greatly improved the air quality of various Indian cities like Delhi. Also, with an unprecedented drop in rates of air pollution over Delhi, breast cancer occurrence may also decrease.

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Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the air quality of three megacities in India

Cited by 17 publications

References 37 publications

Influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport and biomass burning on PM2.5 of three north Indian cities: phase-wise analysis of the COVID-19 lockdown

Influence of meteorology, mobility, air mass transport and biomass burning on PM2.5 of three north Indian cities: phase-wise analysis of the COVID-19 lockdown

Pandemic, War, and Global Energy Transitions

Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Risk of Breast Cancer: A Case Study

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