Socio-economic Insinuations and Air Quality Status in India Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Abstract

In India, “Janta Curfew” with complete lockdown was imposed on 22 March 2020 to culminate the disease spread of COVID-19. Nationwide lockdown has created a socio-economic crisis, which has led to many human problems such as loneliness, mental depression, anxiety and domestic violence. The country witnessed the downfall in economic progress due to complete shutdown of industrial, commercial, transportation and other business ventures. On the contrary, lockdown facilitated our environment to restore its aesthetic value. The review beholds an objective to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on socio-economic effects and air pollution level in India. The study includes comparative change in air quality during lockdown periods (22 March–14 April, 15 April–03 May, 4–17 May and 18–31 May 2020) against the same duration of 2019 and before lockdown periods in 2020. Air quality index was improved by >35% in 2020 compared to 2019 of same duration. Northern part of the country showed maximum reduction in air pollutants’ level compared to southern part. Aerosol, PM2.5, PM10, NOx, NO2, NO, SO2 and CO showed subsequent reductions in their levels during compared to before lockdown;however, O3 level showed an increasing trend across the lockdown duration. Multivariate analysis showed a strong correlation of wind speed with total number of COVID-19 cases;however, ambient temperature exhibited a strong correlation with air pollutants. The chapter thus emphasizes upon the establishment and implementation of strict air control measures by government, policymakers and stakeholders with public participation for air quality improvement and long-term restoration of ecosystem in India. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.