Before Covid-19, the environment was really a matter of concern. In Delhi, lots of people had started taking oxygen from outside feeling suffocated. The Government was trying to run vehicles with odd and even registered numbers in alternative days to control emmission. This is the third time in past two decades that Covid 19 has created a pandemic condition, after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERSCoV) in 2012.
Pertaining to the Corona virus (2019), it was on December 31, 2019 wherein the first case was reported to WHO Country Office in Wuhan, China, with symptoms of unexplained low respiratory infections. This was classified as “pneumonia of unknown etiology” as the cause of infection was not known.
Covid-19 was declared a pandemic disease by the Director General-WHO on March 11. He also briefed regarding the 13-fold increase in positive cases in China and 1, 18,000 positive cases and 4291 deaths across globe till that date.
In India the first confirmed positive case was reported on January 30 in a student from Thrissur district of Kerala who had returned home for a vacation from Wuhan University in China followed by two other cases on February 2 and 3 again in Kerala having the same history.
As on April 14, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) reported 10,815 positive cases and 358 deaths covering 32 States in India. Presently in comparison to the top six affected countries viz USA, Italy, Spain, China, Germany and Iran, we in India have lesser capacity to serve patients.
Although researchers round the globe are rigorously working to find the cure of the infection caused by the deadly virus but unfortunately, till date no definite cure or vaccine has got developed. The only way to control the spread is suggested to be “social distancing”, which is being practiced by many countries at this crisis time and has led to reduction GHG emissions in air at global level.
During past two decades, India has witnessed an expeditious industrial growth which has certainly improved the standard of living of its people and it is also evident from the rising vehicular fleet on roads.
But we have paid a heavy cost for this development in terms of poisoning the air we breathe. As per a release of the World Health Organization (2nd May 2018), around 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted. The State of India's Environment (SoE) report, 2019 has declared that 12.5 per cent of all deaths in India are due to air pollution.
The environment in India was extremely degraded and all the pollutant levels and air quality index left the limits way behind. Observing the increasing rate of Corona cases in India and subsequent looming crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, had declared a complete lockdown of 21 days for entire country during his live address to the nation, which was further extended for 19 days on April 14 in phase 2 followed by 14 days till May 17 in phase 3 and more 14 days in phase 4.
Various restrictions posed by the Government of India and subsequent lockdown, anthropogenic activities like industrial projects, vehicular movement, construction projects, tourism and other common transportation activities witnessed a ‘never before’ stagnant phase 4.
However, the Covid restrictions have given the nature a “healing time” with reduced human interference in natural environment. The situation today is a “reset” for nature and mankind, giving us a prospect to observe and analyse in and around. It is found that out of 20 world's most polluted cities, 14 are from India and Ghaziabad is in first place with severe degree of air pollution. Now, the things have changed in early 2020 when the Government of India declared a complete lockdown in country in order to prevent community transmission of coronavirus.
The Covid-19 has now spread to 216 countries around the globe infecting 37,110,987 people and causing 10, 72,712 deaths as on October 10. By the time, India has also reported to have 6,977,008 positive cases with a 107,450-death toll. The condition is still uncontrolled and with no proven cure for the virus.
But as the human activities are restricted in most of the areas, the natural environment of country has started healing itself. At present when entire globe is struggling to frame proper strategies to combat Covid-19, the early lockdown implemented has shown an absolute way towards restoring ecosystem and environment.
(The writer lives at L-17/15, Panchasakha Nagar, Dumuduma, Khandagiri. Mob: 9439128050, bdpanda1@gmail.com)