With millions of vehicles that spew dust and harmful emissions off the roads, and factories shut for about three weeks, air pollution levels have plunged. According to the government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi has seen a 51% reduction in PM2.5 and 49% reduction in PM10 since the lockdown.
While the role of changing weather conditions cannot be ruled out, the impact of lockdown was most evident in the reduction of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) levels-largely controlled by vehicular pollution which is responsible for 40% of Delhi’s pollution.
The data showed that there has been at least 60% reduction in NOx levels in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune over the last month.