As the world is dwindling with scare of Coronavirus one thing that majority of us are often compelled to think is whether this virus is a Cruse or a Boon? It’s difficult to answer this question but it’s not impossible. To me, the coronavirus is both – Curse as well as Boon. Curse for mankind; boon for Nature. The positive impact that this pandemic condition has on environment is quite evident. Majority of positive impact can be seen on:
Air Quality
Due to complete lockdown; industrial units, markets, shops, public transport have came to a standstill. Thus, the level of PM2.5 and NO2 has reduced drastically and the quality of air has improved considerably. As per the data published by CPCB, metro cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore have reported a drop of approx. 71% in their emission levels.
Return of Wildlife
Due to fewer human interference, there is a sudden rise in number of migratory birds visiting creeks and rivers. Also, there is a sudden surge in the population of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in beaches of Orissa and it is estimated that they will lay around 6 Crore eggs this year. In some cities of India peacocks have been seen dancing on roads.
Reduced Water Pollution
Prohibition on discharge of Industrial effluents, washing and dumping of clothes, stoppage of open defecation and throwing of religious waste material in water bodies the quality of water has improved significantly. Clean water has now started flowing through rives such as Yamuna and Cauvery which were believed to be things of the past.
Lower Carbon Emissions
Since majority of the companies worldwide have given their employee an option of work from home, the daily commute is next to zero which means there is no vehicles plying on the roads thus no traffic congestion. This has led to lower carbon emissions due to reduced fossil fuel emissions. As per the data published by Ministry of Earth Sciences, there is a decline of approx. 40-50 % in the levels of NO2 as compared to the levels of 2018-2019 during the same period.
Increased Green Cover
The green cover has increased considerably as trees and plants now have cleaner air to breathe. The reason behind the same is negligible deposition of particulate matter on leaves due to reduced transport activity and prohibition of gaseous emission from the vents of industrial units thus leading to increased photosynthesis.
The coronavirus pandemic is obviously not a good thing for mankind but probably it helped in healing the earth which couldn’t have occurred in normal course of routine. Hopefully, everyone will now take liability of their actions and contribute their bit towards keeping the earth a better place to live in and maintaining it the way it should have been. Humans can’s exist without nature and this is a tough lesson we all have learnt in a strange way.
