Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India

Abstract On January 30, 2020, India recorded its first COVID-19 positive case in Kerala, which was followed by a nationwide lockdown extended in four different phases from 25th March to 31st May, 2020, and an unlock period thereafter. The lockdown has led to colossal economic loss to India; however,...

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Main Authors: Ritwik Nigam, Kanvi Pandya, Alvarinho J. Luis, Raja Sengupta, Mahender Kotha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83393-9
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spelling doaj-953f80817e2544478f75990843f4b01b2021-02-21T12:34:12ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222021-02-0111111210.1038/s41598-021-83393-9Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western IndiaRitwik Nigam0Kanvi Pandya1Alvarinho J. Luis2Raja Sengupta3Mahender Kotha4School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (SEOAS), Goa UniversityDepartment of Geography, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of BarodaEarth System Science Organization-National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Science, Govt. of IndiaDepartment of Geography & McGill School of Environment, McGill UniversitySchool of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (SEOAS), Goa UniversityAbstract On January 30, 2020, India recorded its first COVID-19 positive case in Kerala, which was followed by a nationwide lockdown extended in four different phases from 25th March to 31st May, 2020, and an unlock period thereafter. The lockdown has led to colossal economic loss to India; however, it has come as a respite to the environment. Utilizing the air quality index (AQI) data recorded during this adverse time, the present study is undertaken to assess the impact of lockdown on the air quality of Ankleshwar and Vapi, Gujarat, India. The AQI data obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board was assessed for four lockdown phases. We compared air quality data for the unlock phase with a coinciding period in 2019 to determine the changes in pollutant concentrations during the lockdown, analyzing daily AQI data for six pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2). A meta-analysis of continuous data was performed to determine the mean and standard deviation of each lockdown phase, and their differences were computed in percentage in comparison to 2019; along with the linear correlation analysis and linear regression analysis to determine the relationship among the air pollutants and their trend for the lockdown days. The results revealed different patterns of gradual to a rapid reduction in most of the pollutant concentrations (PM10, PM2.5, CO, SO2), and an increment in ozone concentration was observed due to a drastic reduction in NO2 by 80.18%. Later, increases in other pollutants were also observed as the restrictions were eased during phase-4 and unlock 1. The comparison between the two cities found that factors like distance from the Arabian coast and different industrial setups played a vital role in different emission trends.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83393-9
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ritwik Nigam
Kanvi Pandya
Alvarinho J. Luis
Raja Sengupta
Mahender Kotha
spellingShingle Ritwik Nigam
Kanvi Pandya
Alvarinho J. Luis
Raja Sengupta
Mahender Kotha
Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
Scientific Reports
author_facet Ritwik Nigam
Kanvi Pandya
Alvarinho J. Luis
Raja Sengupta
Mahender Kotha
author_sort Ritwik Nigam
title Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
title_short Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
title_full Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
title_fullStr Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
title_full_unstemmed Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (Ankleshwar and Vapi) of Western India
title_sort positive effects of covid-19 lockdown on air quality of industrial cities (ankleshwar and vapi) of western india
publisher Nature Publishing Group
series Scientific Reports
issn 2045-2322
publishDate 2021-02-01
description Abstract On January 30, 2020, India recorded its first COVID-19 positive case in Kerala, which was followed by a nationwide lockdown extended in four different phases from 25th March to 31st May, 2020, and an unlock period thereafter. The lockdown has led to colossal economic loss to India; however, it has come as a respite to the environment. Utilizing the air quality index (AQI) data recorded during this adverse time, the present study is undertaken to assess the impact of lockdown on the air quality of Ankleshwar and Vapi, Gujarat, India. The AQI data obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board was assessed for four lockdown phases. We compared air quality data for the unlock phase with a coinciding period in 2019 to determine the changes in pollutant concentrations during the lockdown, analyzing daily AQI data for six pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, O3, and SO2). A meta-analysis of continuous data was performed to determine the mean and standard deviation of each lockdown phase, and their differences were computed in percentage in comparison to 2019; along with the linear correlation analysis and linear regression analysis to determine the relationship among the air pollutants and their trend for the lockdown days. The results revealed different patterns of gradual to a rapid reduction in most of the pollutant concentrations (PM10, PM2.5, CO, SO2), and an increment in ozone concentration was observed due to a drastic reduction in NO2 by 80.18%. Later, increases in other pollutants were also observed as the restrictions were eased during phase-4 and unlock 1. The comparison between the two cities found that factors like distance from the Arabian coast and different industrial setups played a vital role in different emission trends.
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83393-9
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