Impact of Lockdown on Ambient Air Quality in COVID-19 Affected Hotspot Cities of India: Need to Readdress Air Pollution Mitigation Policies

Abstract

The present study investigates the effect of lockdown on ambient air quality of 16 Indian cities constituting the major hotspots for COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 lockdown resulted in cleaner air in India. Significant reduction of nearly 62%, 52% and 69% are observed in PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels as compared to preceding years. However, there is no significant effect of lockdown on other gaseous pollutants (SO2 and O3). The lockdown in India was found to be an effective way to restrict the virus spread rate and measure control ambient air pollutant levels.