Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on ambient air quality in megacities of India and implication for air pollution control strategies.

ABSTRACT: The impact of restrictions during various phases of COVID-19 lockdown on daily mean PM_2.5 concentration in five Indian megacities (New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Hyderabad) was studied. The impact was studied for pre-lockdown (1st Mar-24th Mar 2020), lockdown (25th Mar-31st May 2020), and unlocking (1st Jun-31st Aug 2020) phases. The lockdown period comprises 4 lockdown phases with distinct measures, whereas the unlocking period had 3 phases. PM_2.5 concentration reduced significantly in all megacities and met the national standards during the lockdown period. The maximum reduction in PM_2.5 level was observed in Kolkata (62%), followed by Mumbai (49%), Chennai (34%), and New Delhi (26%) during the lockdown period. Comparatively, Hyderabad exhibited

SUBMITTER: Ravindra K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7789901 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature