A massive reduction of pollution in India has made the peaks of the Himalayas visible from the country for the first time in 30 years.
Residents of the Jalandhar district in Punjab have posted photos of the rarely seen views of the mountains to social media.
Himalaya mountains can be seen from Jalandhar since pollution has reduced in Punjab. Beautiful sight š#punjab #COVID19 #pollution pic.twitter.com/iZy7hwxX9R
— TjSingh (@covsinghtj) April 3, 2020
A report from India’s Central Pollution Control Board found the air quality in 85 cities had improved significantly due to a massive reduction of vehicle use and the closure of all non-essential businesses, according to ABC News.
The country has been in lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 since 22 March.
“Data shows that on average, Indian cities had an AQI [Air Quality Index] of 115 between March 16 and 24,” the report said.
“The air quality started showing improvements from the first day of the 21-day lockdown. The average AQI fell to 75 in the first three days of the lockdown.”
India is home to Ghaziabad, which was been ranked as the world’s most polluted area.
ABC News also reported that NASA found pollution in China has also plummeted during the global health crisis, with satellites detecting a significant drop in nitrogen dioxide over China.
Featured image source: Twitter @parasrishi
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