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S. Kalita and H. Talukdar
against the disease. The quarantine restrictions on social gatherings and community
mobility have resulted in the halt of world economies due to the discontinuity in
industrial activities, tourism, travelling, transportation, and other commercial activities such as the closure of construction work, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and
cinema halls. The April World Economic Outlook estimates the global growth to fall
to three per cent by 2020 [4]. The end of March 2020 witnessed a recession in the
global aviation activity and transport activity almost by 75% and 60%, respectively
below the 2019 average [5]. In the first quarter of 2020, a projected decline of 57
and 2.5% in the global oil demand and electricity demand, respectively is expected.
Full lockdown in places like India, the US northwest, France, Italy, Spain and the
United Kingdom led to a reduction in the daily electricity demand by at least 15%.
Thus, the quarantine lockdown indeed has been a blessing in disguise for Mother
Nature by giving her the time to heal from the damages caused by anthropogenic
activities. With the cease of human activities, there are media reports of improved
air quality, cleaner water bodies, and sightings of wildlife in the contested habitats.
The speculations were validated by numerous scientific studies which evaluated the
impact of quarantine lockdown on the ecology by assessing the air quality, water
status and biodiversity [6–9]. On reviewing the articles on the impact of lockdown
on ecology, it is observed that the highest number of studies was carried out on air
quality status [6, 8, 10]. Even agencies such as the United National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA) and Centre for
Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has reported on the status of air quality
in various parts of the world by assessing the decreased nitrogen dioxide emissions
in countries like China, Italy and Spain. Comparatively‚ fewer research articles [7,
11] were found on assessment of water quality and biodiversity because of the probable reasons such as restriction on the field sample collection amidst lockdown and
limited access and expertise to GIS technique.
The chapter is an amalgamation of many globally reported data on the positive
and negative impacts of the lockdown on the air, water and biodiversity. The chapter
thoroughly reviews and assesses the monitored parameters of air and water, and also
provides an in-depth and comprehensive description of how the influenced parameters during the restricted human activities ultimately improve the overall quality
status. It also discusses the measures for revival of environment and economy, and
the shortcomings such as the need for more studies on secondary air pollutants,
water parameters and biodiversity in conditions when minimum human interventions prevail. The sudden positive changes in the quality of air and water and also
behaviour of wild animals during the COVID-19 lockdown period is not a miracle.
The worldwide reports on the reduced concentration of air pollutants, improved
parameters of water bodies and sightings of wildlife moving freely in the human
abandoned places are the reflectance of the positive changes that were obtained
as a consequence of the COVID-19 restrictions on the movement and activities of
humans. Thus, another contribution of the chapter is that it effectively reflects the
positive impact of restricted or controlled activities of human on the environment in
a short duration. The chapter compels the readers to contemplate that if restricted
human actions for a short-duration can bring about such significant changes then
S. Kalita and H. Talukdar
against the disease. The quarantine restrictions on social gatherings and community
mobility have resulted in the halt of world economies due to the discontinuity in
industrial activities, tourism, travelling, transportation, and other commercial activities such as the closure of construction work, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and
cinema halls. The April World Economic Outlook estimates the global growth to fall
to three per cent by 2020 [4]. The end of March 2020 witnessed a recession in the
global aviation activity and transport activity almost by 75% and 60%, respectively
below the 2019 average [5]. In the first quarter of 2020, a projected decline of 57
and 2.5% in the global oil demand and electricity demand, respectively is expected.
Full lockdown in places like India, the US northwest, France, Italy, Spain and the
United Kingdom led to a reduction in the daily electricity demand by at least 15%.
Thus, the quarantine lockdown indeed has been a blessing in disguise for Mother
Nature by giving her the time to heal from the damages caused by anthropogenic
activities. With the cease of human activities, there are media reports of improved
air quality, cleaner water bodies, and sightings of wildlife in the contested habitats.
The speculations were validated by numerous scientific studies which evaluated the
impact of quarantine lockdown on the ecology by assessing the air quality, water
status and biodiversity [6–9]. On reviewing the articles on the impact of lockdown
on ecology, it is observed that the highest number of studies was carried out on air
quality status [6, 8, 10]. Even agencies such as the United National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA) and Centre for
Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has reported on the status of air quality
in various parts of the world by assessing the decreased nitrogen dioxide emissions
in countries like China, Italy and Spain. Comparatively‚ fewer research articles [7,
11] were found on assessment of water quality and biodiversity because of the probable reasons such as restriction on the field sample collection amidst lockdown and
limited access and expertise to GIS technique.
The chapter is an amalgamation of many globally reported data on the positive
and negative impacts of the lockdown on the air, water and biodiversity. The chapter
thoroughly reviews and assesses the monitored parameters of air and water, and also
provides an in-depth and comprehensive description of how the influenced parameters during the restricted human activities ultimately improve the overall quality
status. It also discusses the measures for revival of environment and economy, and
the shortcomings such as the need for more studies on secondary air pollutants,
water parameters and biodiversity in conditions when minimum human interventions prevail. The sudden positive changes in the quality of air and water and also
behaviour of wild animals during the COVID-19 lockdown period is not a miracle.
The worldwide reports on the reduced concentration of air pollutants, improved
parameters of water bodies and sightings of wildlife moving freely in the human
abandoned places are the reflectance of the positive changes that were obtained
as a consequence of the COVID-19 restrictions on the movement and activities of
humans. Thus, another contribution of the chapter is that it effectively reflects the
positive impact of restricted or controlled activities of human on the environment in
a short duration. The chapter compels the readers to contemplate that if restricted
human actions for a short-duration can bring about such significant changes then