IJEP 41(11): 1263-1267 : Vol. 41 Issue. 11 (November 2021)
1. Hindu College, Pollution Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, Moradabad – 244 001, UP, India
2. IFTM University, School of Science, Moradabad – 244 002, UP, India
Abstract
Covid-19 is probably a serious respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. It was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. To curb the spread of Covid-19, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days on 24 March 2020. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of lockdown on air quality of brass city of India, that is Moradabad. Therefore, air quality trends have been studied during the pre-lockdown and lockdown phase at the residential site, that is PTC. For the air quality assessment (AQI), concentration of three different parameters, that is PM10, NO2 and SO2 were calculated. It was observed that AQI was falling under satisfactory and moderate categories during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown period because all transport services with the exception of essential services, industrial establishments and hospitality services, etc., were suspended during the lockdown period which is a major contributor of air pollution. Therefore, the study revealed that the government’s decision to put the nation under lockdown to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in significant improvement in the air quality of Moradabad.
Keywords
Covid-19, Lockdown, Air quality index, Air quality improvement, Industrial city Moradabad
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