Variable Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Quality across 91 Indian Cities

Earth Interactions

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Ansar Khan¹  Samiran Khorat²  Rupali Khatun³  Quang-Van Doan⁴  U. S. Nair⁵  Dev Niyogi⁶ 

[1] Department of Geography, Lalbaba College, University of Calcutta;Department of Geography, University of Calcutta;School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University;Centre for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba;Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama;Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin;Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

关键词: Aerosol optical properties;    Aerosols/particulates;    Air pollution;    Urban meteorology;   

DOI  :  10.1175/EI-D-20-0017.1

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: American Geophysical Union

【 摘 要 】

India responded to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic through a three-phase nationwide lockdown: 25 March–14 April, 15 April–3 May, and 4–17 May 2020. We utilized this unique opportunity to assess the impact of restrictions on the air quality of Indian cities. We conducted comprehensive statistical assessments for the air quality index (AQI) and criteria pollutant concentrations for 91 cities during the lockdown phases relative to the preceding seven days (prelockdown phase of 18–24 March 2020) and to corresponding values from the same days of the year in 2019. Both comparisons show statistically significant countrywide mean decrease in AQI (33%), PM 2.5 (36%), PM 10 (40%), NO 2 (58%), O 3 (5%), SO 2 (25%), NH 3 (28%), and CO (60%). These reductions represent a background or the lower bound of air quality burden of industrial and transportation sectors. The northern region was most impacted by the first two phases of the lockdown, whereas the southern region was most affected in the last phase. The northeastern region was least affected, followed by the eastern region, which also showed an increase in O 3 during the lockdown. Analysis of satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) shows that effects of restrictions on particulate pollution were variable—locally confined in some areas or having a broader impact in other regions. Anomalous behavior over the eastern region suggests a differing role of regional societal response or meteorological conditions. The study results have policy implications because they provide the observational background values for the industrial and transportation sector’s contribution to urban pollution.

【 授权许可】

Unknown