Impact of Lockdown on Air Quality in the Most Polluted Cities of India.

IF 0.9 Q4 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Indian Journal of Community Medicine Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Epub Date: 2024-01-12 DOI:10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_980_22
Noel George, Jang Bahadur Prasad, Elizabeth Varghese, Richu Rajesh, Aravind Kumar
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, prompting lockdowns in practically every country. To prevent the spread of the disease, India has enforced a rigorous nationwide lockdown that commenced in March 2020. The lockdown imposed amid the pandemic ensured that most commercial activities and vehicle transportation ceased, resulting in a significant reduction in air pollution levels.

Material and methods: The value of air pollutants PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 from January to May 2020 was obtained from the Indian Central Pollution Control Board. Before lockdown and during lockdown, relative fluctuations in ambient concentrations of four air contaminants were investigated. The Box-Jenkins approach was used to estimate future air pollution data points using time series data analysis.

Results: The PM10 level reduced by 61%, 30%, 68%, 37%, and 43% in the selected cities, respectively. Comparison of other pollutant concentrations before and after the lockdown also found a reduction in ambient pollutant concentrations, resulting in improved air quality. Inference of predicted model values to observed values revealed a significant increase in the concentrations of all pollutants. The percentage increases in AQImean from predicted to observed values were 206% in Ghaziabad, 148% in Delhi, 59% in Hyderabad, and 160% in Cochin.

Conclusion: The strict lockdown has resulted in a significant drop in air pollutant levels. Upgrading present technologies could help keep pollution to a minimum of 37% under control. The findings would prompt the government to consider how to strictly reduce vehicle and industrial pollution to improve air quality and maintain improved public health.

封锁对印度污染最严重城市空气质量的影响。
背景:COVID-19 已成为一种全球性流行病,促使几乎所有国家都实行了封锁。为防止疫情蔓延,印度从 2020 年 3 月起在全国范围内实施了严格的封锁。疫情期间实施的封锁确保了大部分商业活动和车辆运输的停止,从而使空气污染水平大幅下降:从印度中央污染控制委员会获得了 2020 年 1 月至 5 月空气污染物 PM10、PM2.5、二氧化氮和二氧化硫的数值。在封锁前和封锁期间,对四种空气污染物的环境浓度的相对波动进行了调查。通过时间序列数据分析,使用 Box-Jenkins 方法估算了未来的空气污染数据点:结果:选定城市的 PM10 水平分别降低了 61%、30%、68%、37% 和 43%。对封锁前后其他污染物浓度的比较也发现,环境污染物浓度有所下降,从而改善了空气质量。将预测模型值与观测值进行推断,发现所有污染物的浓度都有显著增加。从预测值到观测值,加济阿巴德的空气质量指数平均值增加了 206%,德里增加了 148%,海得拉巴增加了 59%,科钦增加了 160%:结论:严格的封锁导致空气污染物水平大幅下降。提升现有技术有助于将污染控制在 37% 以下。研究结果将促使政府考虑如何严格减少汽车和工业污染,以改善空气质量,维护公众健康。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Indian Journal of Community Medicine
Indian Journal of Community Medicine PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-
CiteScore
1.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
85
审稿时长
49 weeks
期刊介绍: The Indian Journal of Community Medicine (IJCM, ISSN 0970-0218), is the official organ & the only official journal of the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM). It is a peer-reviewed journal which is published Quarterly. The journal publishes original research articles, focusing on family health care, epidemiology, biostatistics, public health administration, health care delivery, national health problems, medical anthropology and social medicine, invited annotations and comments, invited papers on recent advances, clinical and epidemiological diagnosis and management; editorial correspondence and book reviews.
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