In case you were wondering that the coronavi*us quarantine brought nothing but trouble, we’ve get some good news for you. As people are traveling less and staying home more, the pollution levels in big cities have dropped dramatically. A short while ago we talked about decreased pollution levels in Italy and India, and now even more countries are reporting the same thing. Check out the before and after photos of cities showing significantly reduced pollution in the gallery below!
#1 The India Gate War Memorial, New Delhi, India
Image source: AFP
Above you can see the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi on October 17, 2019 compared to a picture taken 21 days after a nationwide lockdown has been announced. According to Reuters, New Delhi is currently experiencing the longest “spell of clean air” to date.
#2 Los Angeles, California
Image source: David McNew
If there’s something LA is widely known for, it’s its smog. However, Business Insider reports that reduced traffic and fewer planes has improved air quality significantly.
#3 New Delhi, India
Image source: Anushree Fadnavis/Adnan Abidi
The top picture was taken on November 8, 2018 and the one on the bottom was taken this year on the 8th of April.
#4 Milan, Italy
Image source: Flavio Lo Scalzo
According to BBC, Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Europe. However, the current lockdown has caused the smog to clear up. The bottom picture was taken on April 17, 2020 and the top one just 4 months before.
#5 Venice Lagoons
Image source: European Space Agency
In the satellite photos captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission you can clearly see that the reduced boat traffic has caused Venice’s canals to clear up.
#6 North Jakarta, Indonesia
Image source: Willy Kurniawan
The top photo was taken on the 26th of July , 2018, and the one on the bottom was taken on the 16th of April, 2020 – the difference in smog levels is clearly visible.
#7 The Grand Canal, Venice, Italy
Image source: Manuel Silvestri
In an interview with CNN, Venice mayor’s office reported that reduced levels of boat traffic has caused the sediment to stay in the bottom of the canals.
#8 Yamuna River, New Delhi, India
Image source: Adnan Abidi
According to NY Times, 14 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are located in India. However, water of the Yamuna River in New Delhi has cleared up significantly since the lockdown began. Ten top photo was taken on March 21, 2018, and the bottom one was taken on the 8th of April of this year.
#9 Jakarta, Indonesia
Image source: Willy Kurniawan
The Jakarta Post reports that the city was named the fifth-most polluted capital in the world back in 2019. Although ever since the social restrictions were issued in March, the pollution levels have dropped quite a bit. The top photo was taken on July 4, 2019 and the bottom one on April 16, 2020.
#10 Electricity Pylons, New Delhi, India
Image source: Adnan Abidi
CNN reported a 71% decrease in microscopic particulate (PM 2.5) in just a single week since the lockdown. The top photo was taken on on October 30, 2019 and the bottom one on April 13, 2020.
#11 Islamabad, Pakistan
Image source: Faisal Mahmood/Saiyna Bashir
Back on the 2nd of April Dawn reported that Islamabad’s air quality was dropping. However, ever since the lockdown, it seems to have been improving. The top photo was taken on August 3, 2017 and the bottom one was taken just a few days ago, on the 20th of April.
(h/t: insider)
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