Impact of COVID-19 lockdown and meteorology on the air quality of Srinagar city: A temperate climatic region in Kashmir Himalayas

Abstract

The deadly transmission of the coronavirus forced all countries to implement lockdowns to restrict the transmission of this highly infectious disease. As a result of these lockdowns and restrictions, many urban centers have seen a positive impact on air quality with a significant reduction in air pollution. Therefore, in this study, the impact of COVID-19 lockdown vis-a-vis meteorological parameters on the ambient air quality of Srinagar city was examined. In this regard, we have evaluated the temporal variation of six different key air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3, and NH3) along with meteorological parameters (relative humidity, rainfall, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). The duration of the study was divided into three periods: Before Lockdown(BLD), Lockdown (LD), and Partial Lockdown(PLD). Daily average data for all the parameters was accessed from one of the real-time continuous monitoring stations of the central pollution control board (CPCB) at Rajbagh Srinagar. Some air pollutants have decreased, according to the results, while others have increased. The air quality index (AQI) decreases overall by 6.15 percent compared to before lockdown, and it never exceeds the "moderate" category. The AQI was in the following order for both lockdown and pre-lockdown periods: satisfactory > moderate > good. However, for partial lockdown, it was moderate > satisfactory > good. It was observed that the maximum decrease was seen in the concentration of NO2, NH3 with 75.11% and 69.18%. A modest decrease was observed in PM10 at 3.8%. While SO2 and O3 had an upward trend of 85.82% and 48.74%, The NO2 to SO2 ratio reveals that the emissions of NO2 have substantially decreased due to the complete restriction of transport systems. From principal component analysis for all three study periods, PM10 and PM2.5 were combined into a single component, inferring their shared behavior and source of origin. SO2 and O3 demonstrated identical behavior during the lockdown and partial lockdown periods of study. According to the findings of the study, it is beneficial for the government, environmentalists, and policymakers to impose rigorous lockdown measures, particularly during extreme air pollution events, in order to reduce the damage caused by automotive and industrial emissions.