On Friday, 3 April, residents of Punjab’s Jalandhar were amazed to see clear skies to an extent that they could see the Dhauladhar mountain range located in Himachal Pradesh behind the clouds.
The mountain range is around 200 km away from Jalandhar and has an elevation between 3,500 metres to about 6,000 metres.
This perhaps could have been witnessed because of the drastic drop seen in the level of air pollution in various cities due to the 21-day-nationwide lockdown imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus. Because of the lockdown, there are less number of cars on the roads, less number of factories and industries are functional, and companies have utilised the option of work from home.
According to The Tribune, Harpal Kler, a resident of Jalandhar, said, “As I set out from home early this morning and started on Pathankot highway, I could see the entire range of snow-covered mountains in front of me. It gave me such a nice break from the otherwise monotonous routine these days.”
Further, Dr Rajinder Kaur, associate professor, environmental science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, ascertained that if stringent environment laws are implemented even after the lockdown is over, the nature can definitely benefit from it.
He told The Tribune, “The dramatic dip in air pollution is brought in with the lockdown. At homes and on our rooftops, we see an increased variety of birds and rare breeds which were previously not being seen. The visibility of stars in the sky has also increased to a level we used to see only in our childhood. While the lockdown-like conditions aren’t feasible for development and economy – taking a cue from this – the strict implementation of environmental, traffic and industry regulation laws, however, can ease the environment greatly even after the lockdown.”
Social Media Smitten by the Scenic Beauty
While some Twitter users mentioned how they thought that this could have never been possible, others lauded the pollution free environment.
(With inputs from The Tribune)
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