Abstract
The major lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the socio-economic development of the world. On the other hand, there are also reports of reduced pollution levels. In this study, an indicative analysis is adopted to understand the effect of lockdown on the changes in the water quality parameters for Lake Hussain Sagar using two remote sensing techniques: (i) spectral reflectance (SR) and (ii) chromaticity analysis (Forel-Ule color Index (FUI) and Excitation Purity). The empirical relationships from earlier studies imply that (i) increase in SR values (band B2) indicates a reduction in Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) concentrations, and (ii) increase in FUI indicates an increase in Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The Landsat 8 OLI satellite images are adopted for comparison between (i) January to May of year 2020: the effect of lockdown on water quality, and (ii) March and April for years 2015 to 2020: historical variations in water quality. The results show notable changes in SR values and FUI due to lockdown compared to before lockdown and after unlock suggesting a significant reduction in lake water pollution. In addition, the historical variations within April suggest that the pollution levels are least in the year 2020.
Highlights
The entire globe has witnessed a major socio-economic lockdown due to the spread of the COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease-2019) pandemic
The level-1 Landsat 8 satellite images for bands band 1 (B1), band 2 (B2), band 3 (B3), band 4 (B4), and B5 are downloaded from the USGS for the pre- and post-conditions of the first COVID-19 lockdown in India
This study compares the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the changes in the water quality parameters for lake Hussain Sagar using the remote sensing techniques
Summary
The entire globe has witnessed a major socio-economic lockdown due to the spread of the COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease-2019) pandemic. Aerial and spaceborne Remote Sensing (RS) techniques can be adopted as a viable and cost-effective tool for monitoring the water quality [18,19] In this technique, the sensors on satellites and other airborne platforms measure the radiation reflected from the water surface at various wavelengths. It is envisaged that the variations in the water color and SR obtained from the RS data can provide an indicative assessment of the changes in the quality of water bodies. We present details about indicative analysis using the spectral bands and FUI and their relationship with water quality parameters.
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