Yes! She is Healing!

India imposed a nation-wide lockdown two months ago to curb the spread of the Covid-19. We’re all aware of the personal challenges we’re facing, but what about the positives? Is there more to gain than lose from this experience? How can we maintain the benefits?

Well, grinding this country of 1.3 billion people to a near halt has provided a remedy to another pressing health issue: suffocating pollution levels.

Here's a piece of good news from the CNN News Program!

Data shows that the main cities are recording much lower levels of harmful microscopic particulate matter, known as PM 2.5, and of nitrogen dioxide, released by vehicles and power plants. PM 2.5, smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, is considered particularly dangerous as it can lodge deep into the lungs and pass into other organs or bloodstream, causing serious health issues.

The sudden fall in pollutants and the subsequent blue skies signal a dramatic shift for India, which has 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, according to the IQAir AirVisual's 2019 World Air Quality Report.

In the capital, New Delhi, government data shows the average concentration of PM 2.5 plunged by 71% in the space of a week, falling from 91 micrograms per cubic meter on March 20, to 26 on March 27, after the lockdown began. Nitrogen dioxide went from 52 per cubic meter to 15 in the same period - also a 71% fall.

Here's something that will make you picture the situation.

The nationwide curfew in India on March 22 also resulted in the lowest one-day traffic pollution levels on record, analysis from CREA said. Other dangerous pollutants, PM2.5, and the larger PM10, which are less than 10 micrometers in diameter, also dropped steeply.

So it's safe to say we have a good face of this lockdown. Our mother is finally Healing!