As India asks its citizens to stay home and practice social distancing, nearly everything from factories, markets, shops, places of worship and public transport stand suspended and the biggest advantage of it all has been in the improvement of air quality in cities across the country.

Anshul Chopra

According to reports, the main cities are recording much lower levels of harmful microscopic particulate matter known as PM 2.5, and of nitrogen dioxide, which is released by vehicles and power plants.

Out of the 91 cities that showed minimal pollution, as many as 30 cities recorded 'good' air quality while 61 cities recorded 'satisfactory' air quality, the report showed.



What nature was..

And what we had done to it🙂



This is Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal , seen after 30 years, from Jalandhar(Punjab) after pollution drops to the lowest level in 30 years. This is approx. 200 km away straight.



Sent by a friend. Don’t know if true🙏 pic.twitter.com/CMPj6qVmjx — Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 3, 2020

So much so, Dhauladhar range, which is part of a Himalayan chain of mountains in Himachal Pradesh, has become visible to the people of Jalandhar, which is in Punjab.

The range which stands 200km away from Jalandhar was visible after nearly 30 years!

The mighty Dhauladhars in Himachal Pradesh are now visible from Jalandhar as the air gets cleaner due to lockdown. Never thought this was possible!

First pic is from a DSLR and second from a mobile phone camera.

Pics courtesy colleague @Anjuagnihotri1 pic.twitter.com/IFGst3jP8k — Man Aman Singh Chhina (@manaman_chhina) April 3, 2020

“This Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal , seen after 30 years, from Jalandhar(Punjab) after pollution drops to the lowest level in 30 years. This is approx. 200 km away straight,” wrote a Twitter user and shared an image. It was also shared by IFS officer Sushant Nanda. “What nature was…And what we had done to it,” Nanda wrote.

“A mesmerizing view of Dhauladhar Mountain range in Himachal Pradesh from my home in Jalandhar, Punjab... result of improved air quality and decrease in pollution levels only because of #21daylockdown,” wrote another Twitter user and shared an image.



A mesmerizing view of Dhauladhar Mountain range in Himachal Pradesh from my home in Jalandhar, Punjab... result of improved air quality and decrease in pollution levels only because of #21daylockdown #PMModi #NatureHeals pic.twitter.com/rlAtZdqyLa — Dhruv Rehan (@dhruv158cap) April 3, 2020

According to The Indian Express, Ludhiana, which is among the most polluted cities of the country, was the cleanest city of India on March 23 with air quality index (AQI) of 35, according to the data sourced from the central pollution control board (CPCB)’s app ‘Sameer’.





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