As reported by CNN Travel, residents of the northern Indian state of Punjab are taking to social media to express their delight at being able to clearly see the Himalayan mountain range for the first time in years.
At midnight on March 25, India imposed a nationwide lockdown after seeing a spike in COVID-19 deaths, the BBC reports.
Recent satellite images have shown the huge drop in pollution over Italy as a result of the lockdown:However, as a result of grinding a country of 1.3 billion people to a near halt, pollution levels have dropped significantly across the nation, and the air quality has seen a dramatic improvement.
Like many countries around the world, there cars off the road, flights canceled, and industries have been shut down.
Per CNN, data from India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed in a report that Delhi saw a 44% reduction in PM10* air pollution levels on the first day of restrictions.
(*The PM10 standard measures airborne particulates 10 micrometers or smaller in diameter.)
(The photograph above shows the view of the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, India - impaired by smog after the city received an air pollution rating of 'Severe'. Taken on November 14, 2019.)
The report also stated that, in total, 85 cities across India saw less air pollution in the first seven days of the nationwide lockdown.
Meanwhile, the air quality in the city of Jalandhar, which is located more than 100 miles from the Himalayas, has been given the rating of "Good" on the country's national index for 16 of the 17 days since the nationwide lockdown was imposed.
Now, residents of Jalandhar and the surrounding area have since shared the beautiful sight on social media, with some saying that they having seen the snowy peaks of the Himalayas for decades.
One Twitter user says he received a picture from his father in Jalandhar showing the clear skies. He wrote: "So my dad sent me this from our apartment balcony. For the first time since he was a teenager you can see the Himalayas from Jalandhar, Punjab a 100 miles away! I didn’t even know this was possible".
Twitter user Manjit Kang shared a couple of photos that they claimed was from their rooftop in Punjab India, explaining that it was the first time "in almost 30 years" that people could clearly see the stunning mountain range. They wrote:
"This was the view from our rooftop at home in Punjab India. For the first time in almost 30 years could clearly see the Himalayas due to India’s lockdown clearing air pollution. Just amazing!"
Another Twitter user with the handle @Deewalia shared an image of the mountains, along with the caption: "What nature really is and how we screwed it up.
"This is Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal, visible after 30 yrs, from Jalandhar (Punjab) after pollution drops to its lowest level. This is approx. 200 km away straight. #Lockdown21 #MotherNature #Global healing".
Jyoti Pande Lavakare, the co-founder of Indian environmental organization Care for Air, and author of the upcoming book Breathing Here is Injurious To Your Health, commented on the reduction in air pollution, saying: "I have not seen such blue skies in Delhi for the past 10 years. It is a silver lining in terms of this awful crisis that we can step outside and breathe."
We are urging all of our readers to adhere to the advice from their respective governments and medical bodies, and practice social distancing and self-isolation where required. Together, we will beat this...
