Delhi Breathes Easy: How To Save Lockdown's Green Gains

Clear blue skies, empty roads, a much cleaner Yamuna & lower garbage level big upside of curbs. Experts are now pushing for sustainable mechanism to keep Capital pollution-free for good

- Shashank Shekhar

Various phases of the lockdown have helped slow the spread of the coronavirus, the government has said.

But the restrictions have also allowed Nature to heal and reboot in Delhi that had been known for its toxic air, gruelling traffic gridlocks, a dirty Yamuna and overflowing landfills.

Now the skies are clear and blue, roads have turned quieter, the river is getting its life back and garbage generation has fallen sharply.

Delhi has turned greener, a feat thousands of crores of rupees and hundreds of legal battles and social campaigns over several decades could not achieve.

There has been a drastic decline in respiratory cases and some other illnesses too during this period, say doctors.

That’s the story thus far. Experts are now saying this huge change shouldn’t have come at the cost a pandemic. And now the challenge is to save the green gains of the lockdown.

Campaigners fear much of the problems might be back soon as curbs are being lifted. They are already pushing for a sustainable mechanism that will allow the city to remain pollution-free and breathe easy in long term — even without Covid-19.

On March 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a nationwide lockdown for 21 days as a preventive measure against Covid19. Since then, the lockdown has been extended many times with gradual lifting of restrictions.

THE CHANGING SCENES