Every cloud has a silver lining. And, just like that the lockdown also seems to have a brighter side to it. The situation is proving to be a boon for the environment as mother nature is healing at a rapid pace. In the latest update, we found out that river Ganga’s water quality has started showing signs of improvement. By Kumar Shree
We have told you about clear Venice canals, animals reclaiming their territories and roaming even in city streets, dropping levels of air pollution, healing ozone layer, replenishing Yamuna river, and people of Jalandhar being able to see the Dhauladhar mountain ranges of Himachal Pradesh because of the dropped pollution levels. All of these are the effects of restrained human activities, especially the industrial ones, courtesy the Coronavirus lockdown.
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Here’s another good news for you all. The holy river Ganga gets cleaner because of the lockdown. And yes, this has happened in just 21 days, something that the NGOs and government organisations have failed to establish in 34 years since the launch of the Ganga Action Plan in 1986. Not just that, the experts have also confirmed that the water quality has considerably improved by about 40 to 50 per cent.
Let’s understand what makes this possible. The major source of water pollution in India is sewage discharge coming from industrial as well as domestic processes, untreated chemical and oil spills that are discharged straight into the water bodies, agricultural wastes, and the worst of them all—non-biodegradable plastic and plastic wastes.
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Since the lockdown has been initiated all these activities have either been partially or completely seized, which in turn has automatically improved the state of water bodies. The first example of this came across when river Yamuna appeared clean and healed after years, and now, the same is reflecting in case of the Ganges as well. While the water is clearer and better, the water level in the river is still at its usual. Experts suggest that it will appear even clean if the water level rises.
Related: #SomeGoodNews: River Yamuna Is Cleaner Than Ever, Thanks to The Lockdown
