India lockdown clears pollution

Any upsides to the coronavirus crisis pale in comparison to the tragedy of the massive death toll, but that doesn’t mean we should totally ignore the silver linings. In India, the shutdown of factories and reduction of the use of trains, planes, and vehicles has led to some of the clearest skies in recent memory.

The country is home to 14 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities, but since it entered a nationwide lockdown on March 25, Mumbai was the only Indian city in the top 20 by April 8. Pollution levels have dropped so dramatically that some residents in northern India say they can see the Dhauladhar range, part of the Himalayas, from over 100 miles away for the first time in decades.

 

Himalaya mountains can be seen from Jalandhar since pollution has reduced in Punjab. Beautiful sight