India is the second most populated country in the world with 1.3m Indians and still use coal as a source of energy, which pollutes a lot. New Delhi is the most polluted city in the world. Half of the CO2 emissions is due to industrial pollution. This problem leads to dire consequences: two million people die every year because of air pollution.
But, because of the covid-19, India began a lockdown on March 23th and so, most of the industries stopped working and so did transports, etc.
The good news is that this has had some positive consequences on the environment. For example, the Air Quality Index (AQI) decreased (the higher the index, the worse the air quality). In New Delhi, the PM2.5 emission was very high in December 2019, about 270 in average, and it has sharply declined since the beginning of the lockdown, about 100 in average in April 2020. (The air quality was already good at the beginning of March because the lockdown was enforced gradually)
(data of the PM2.5 emission with the AQI)
Since the pollution clouds have vanished, people in the north of India can now see Himalaya mountains from their home. They couldn’t see it for 30 years. Also, since there are not a lot of people in the streets, a lot of animals have been seen in cities. For example, a group of flamingos came to Mumbai. It is normal for birds to migrate there but the number of birds jumped.
Les nouvelles positives du confinement
Mais, en raison de la pandémie de covid-19, l'Inde a commencé son confinement le 23 mars entraînant l’arrêt de la plupart des industries et transports. La bonne nouvelle est que cela a eu des conséquences positives sur l'environnement. Par exemple, l'Indice de Qualité de l'Air (IQA) a baissé (plus il est haut, plus la qualité de l’air es mauvaise ; unité arbitraire). À New Delhi, l'émission de PM2,5 était très élevée en décembre 2019, environ 270 en moyenne, et elle a chuté après le confinement à environ 100 en moyenne en avril 2020.
Les nuages de pollution étant partis, les habitants du nord de l'Inde peuvent désormais voir les montagnes de l'Himalaya depuis leurs domiciles. Ils ne pouvaient pas les voir depuis 30 ans. De plus, comme il n'y a pas beaucoup de monde dans les rues, beaucoup d'animaux retournent dans les villes. Par exemple, un groupe de flamants roses est venu à Mumbai. Il est normal que les oiseaux migrent, mais le nombre d'oiseaux observés a beaucoup augmenté.
Alexandre
Sources :
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/himalayas-visible-lockdown-india-scli-intl/index.html
https://www.scmp.com/video/coronavirus/3081403/pink-flamingos-flock-indian-city-navi-mumbai-amid-nationwide-coronavirus
https://aqicn.org/city/india/new-delhi/us-embassy/
