The 21-day lockdown in the country might have taken a toll on the ‘freedom’ of the people as they are confined to their homes but it has also brought about visible and pleasant revelations to the fore as the air quality has recorded significant improvement since March 25 when the lockdown started.
Just a couple of days back, there was a flurry of social media messages sharing pictures and images of Himachal Pradesh’s Dhauladhar mountain ranges clearly visible from the city of Jalandhar in Punjab.
Advertisement
In fact, it is not only the air quality that has gone north. The river Yamuna, that has been a victim of severe pollution caused mainly by garbage throwing and dumping of industrial waste is also looking unbelievably crystal clear, as could be gauged from the pictures and videos shared on social media.
This phenomenon is attributed to the closure of industrial units in Delhi-NCR due to the lockdown, thus resulting in the clarity and fresh look of the otherwise drain-like appearance of the river.
Raghav Chadha, the Vice-Chairman of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said that since toxic wastes and effluents are not being discharged into it, Yamuna has shown a considerable improvement in the quality of the water.
“Many industries and offices are closed due to the lockdown these days and therefore the Yamuna is looking cleaner these days. The stoppage of industrial pollutants and industrial waste has definitely had a positive effect on water quality. We will conduct testing of the water to ascertain the percentage of improvement in the quality,” said Chadha adding that the improvement in the water quality suggests that there is a strong possibility to clean the river and for that, both the people and the government have to join hands.
The Twitterati shared images and videos of the whole new look of the Yamuna River.