The nationwide 'Janata Curfew' followed by the 21-day lockdown, lockdown 2.0 and lockdown 3.0 to combat the corona virus outbreak has led to a significant reduction in pollution level in the State with many cities recording air quality in the 'good' and 'satisfactory' category, a Haryana Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) report stated.

While talking to the Pioneer over the phone, Dr Jai Bhagwan, Senior Scientist, HSPCB (HQ), Panchkula on Monday said that HSPCB has established a network of 29 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) with at least on CAAQMS in every district. The measures against Covid-19 have led to a drop in air pollution level in the State, he said, adding that due to less stubble burning, air quality index has also improved this year compared to last year. Amid the ongoing lockdown, Haryana has witnessed a drastic dip in stubble burning in this wheat harvesting season. There is a reduction by around 74 per cent in cases.

He said that as per available report, 690 active fire locations have been detected in the State from April 15 to May 7, gathered by the Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC). During the corresponding period in 2019, there were were 2,647 cases.

About the reasons, the Senior Scientist said due to the lockdown, the procurement season got extended and farmers were busy in the procurement process. Rain had also played a major role in discouraging farmers from burning stubble.

Meanwhile, Haryana and other parts of the Country are under lockdown with people asked to stay home in view of the corona virus outbreak. Travel restrictions and closure of industries have helped reduce the pollution level, HSPCB report stated.

The major sectors contributing to air pollution are transport power plants, construction activities, biomass burning, road dust and residential activities. Transportation of crushed stones and sand in open trucks, which was another dominant activity, also leads to high levels of suspended particulate matter and RSPM. The main air pollutants of concern are PM 10 and PM 2.5.

During lockdown, as a result of combination of reduced vehicles on the road, functioning of only essential commercial units and prevailing weather conditions, the concentration of particulate matter (PM) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) emissions reduced significantly in various cities of Haryana.

Dr Jai Bhagwan said that an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe. Air Quality Index is assessment of the air quality by taking into account different factors. The lower the AQI the better the air is considered to be, he added.

He said that Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat, Jhajjar and Yamunanagar among others districts of the State which battle high levels of pollution almost through the year also showed significant improvement. These big cities of the State where the highest number of deaths is due to air pollution also got a breath of fresh air, quite literally.

HSPCB Senior Scientist said that data generated by HSPCB for the period of March 15 to April 25, 2020 ie before lockdown, during lockdown with a comparison of average value of AQI of March 19, April 19 for the major air pollutants.

Dharuhere of Rewari district witnessed 47.17 per cent decrease in average AQI from pre-lockdown period, during lockdown period/ Average Air Quality index of 13 cities have improved from moderate category to satisfactory category.

Ballabhgarh witnessed 52.66 per cent reduction in average AQI for the month of March 2020 as compared to March 19. During the month of April average AQI of Ballabhgarh improved to satisfactory category as compared to April 2019 when it has witnessed as poor. No city of Haryana has witnessed poor category as per average AQI, during the month of 2020.

The Senior Scientist further said that data generated for the period March 15, 2020 to April 25, before the lockdown and during the lockdown on specific prominent parameters such as PM 10, PM 2.5, NO2 and SO2 from these stations have been analyzed and the same has been summarized along with a comparison of average values of these parameters observed in pre-lockdown period March 15, 2020 to March 21, 2020 and during lockdown period March 22, 2020 to April 25, 2020.

There has been a big drop in average values upto PM10 by 64.65 per cent, PM2.5 by 54.33 per cent SO2 by 56.45 per cent and NO2 by 81.2 per cent during lockdown period as compared to pre-lockdown period.

AQI remained satisfactory or moderate and at no place poor AQI was observed before April 13, 2020. However, on April 15, a dust storm from western side hit Delhi, NCR which contributed to poor quality recoded on April 15.

Thereafter, the wheat harvesting season started and with sporadic incidents of stubble burning, slight impact was observed in the Air Quality of wheat producing districts. However, the Air Quality during the month of April 2020 has been observed to be better as compared to that of April 2019 during which period the quality remained very poor, he added.

Another HSPCB Scientist said that the lockdown might have slowed down the economic activities in the industrial areas but the air quality in these areas has shown a marked improvement. Perceptible change in the environment was visible in all parameters like particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and even the temperature has reduced by 3 to 5 per cent overall in the industrial areas. This phase had made it clear that human and planetary health are interconnected and it was up to human beings to make the right decision to address the problem of environmental pollution.

A Panchkula based Environmentalist opined that the reduced pollution levels should act as a wake-up call for the State government. With a recent Covid Air Quality report showing pollution levels falling by dramatic levels in major cities across Haryana, including Gurugram, Faridabad, during the corona virus lockdown there is need to maintain levels even after the lockdown is over.

The pandemic could show us how the future might look with less air pollution, or it may just indicate the scale of the challenge ahead, he said, adding that if there is something positive to take from this terrible crisis, it could be that it’s offered a taste of the air we might breathe in a low-carbon future.