Shimla residents breathe fresh air due to lockdown

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News service

Shimla, May 5

The ambient air quality of the queen of the hills, a global tourist destination, has never been “cleaner” as during the 40 days of the lockdown period. The respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) level in the capital city has plummeted by over 74 per cent during the lockdown period as compared with the summer season of 2019 which peaked in June.

The carbon foot print has been virtually negligible. There are few plumes of smog and dust from vehicular, construction activity and forest fires that used to add to the air pollution in the city, observes Dr Surender Shandil, an environmental engineer.

“The coronavirus-forced lockdown brought everything to a standstill. One can see lush green jungles and hear birds chirping and the morning calls of roosters from distant villages due to a drastic drop in the air and noise pollution levels,” said Shandil, an avid birdwatcher.

The traffic movement dropped by over 90 per cent during the lockdown period, which started on March 23 and completed 40 days on Sunday.

The data accessed from the state pollution regulator reveals that the RSPM, P10 dropped to 21 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday from 81 micrograms per cubic metre recorded on June 10 last year, which was the peak of a booming summer tourist season.

The regulator reveals that the RSPM level recorded at the Ridge kept on fluctuating between 21 micrograms per cubic metre in the early morning and 30 micrograms per cubic metre in the afternoon hours during the lockdown period.

Also, there was no major incident of forest fires in the surroundings during the lockdown period. There were sporadic fire incidents which were doused by the continuous spells of rain in the state, a forest official said.