MANAGEMENT
Monday, June 22, 2020
Lockdown and its impact on suppressing pollution and environmental enhancement
The relationship between the
man and the environment co exists from the initial periods.
Humans survive in
the laps of nature and continuously interact with it. Nature influences in the
form of air that we breathe, the food and water that we consume and also the energy
which is flowed. However changes or disturbances made in the external
environment not only pose harmful effects but also prove to be devastating in
terms of community sustainability.
The multiple societal base
structures like religious, agricultural, industrial, aesthetics have been
budding during versatile phases of human civilization and these structures
represent that human beings gathered cultural resources based on nature. Since
decades man (population explosion) has been the source of environmental
destruction for meeting its need of urbanization, technological sophistication,
industrialization, commercialization and globalization which consequently gave
rise to environmental degradation and ecological imbalance which left remark upon
the whole world.
These issues cover major
concerns like global warming, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse effect, melting
glaciers, rising sea level, deforestation, rising pollution, climate change,
resource depletion, acid rain, urban sprawl, desertification, loss of bio
diversity, water crises, ocean and costal threats, shrinking wet lands, habitat
destruction, and lot more.
The current outbreak of
corona virus (COVID 19) disease that was first identified on November’2019 in China,
which has infected 550,000 people across the Globe as on 28 March 2020 (:Source
BBC News). Its spread has left businesses around the world counting cost. This outbreak has negatively impacted global
markets, provided negative recession, change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth relative to the base line, unemployment, health & mental hazards and
mortality (death) across the globe.
With the WHO announcement of
COVID19 to be a pandemic across the globe and considering the no of deaths
taking place in the countries, most of the nations announced lockdowns to
slowdown the dispersion pace of COVID19 as a prevention measure. Indian lock
down was enforced at midnight local time (18:30 GMT) for 21 days from 25th
march 2020 onwards to break the chain of virus by social distancing.
MEANING OF RELATED TERMS
LOCKDOWN - A situation in which an individual is not allowed or restricted to enter or exit a premises or an area freely because of an emergent situation or crisis.
ENVIRONMENT
ENHANCEMENT - 'Environmental enhancement or
conservation associated activities' are defined as those in which participation be it voluntary or
non-voluntary intends to improve the external environment (either urban or rural)
POLLUTION - The presence,
contribution or an addition into the environment of an unwanted substance which
has harmful or poisonous effects like health and mental hazards.
CONTEXT
Corona virus is posing a toll on people all over the
world it’s not just affecting their mental and physical health but it’s also
affecting the businesses causing them major losses. However one thing which is
improvising with every passing of the day is our environment.
Wuhan
being the epicentre of the Coronavirus outbreak is a major
industrial hub. During normal situations, Wuhan had a peaking and hazardous
air-pollution levels, which has now surprisingly fall down by 21.5 per cent
according to data released by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The
satellite images shared by European Space Agency and NASA signify that the
nitrogen dioxide pollution has come down significantly in the region.
Images show a gradual reduction in pollution across many Chinese cities between
the months of January and February.
Lowered proportion of tourism in Venice has
allowed nature to take control and the water in the canals have got
self-cleansed due to which fishes were observed. Less gondola traffic in Venice
has caused rehabilitation of aquatic life which was otherwise not visible.
Other Places
Many other regions have also observed significant
environmental benefits as a consequence of the outbreak. Researchers in New
York reported a 50 per cent decline in carbon monoxide levels, which are caused
due to traffic and car emissions. The researchers at Columbia University
revealed that the traffic levels in the city have come down by around 35 per
cent as compared to the data last year
After the announcement of the
lockdown, the sky of Delhi-NCR is pretty clean and air pollution has fairly come
down. In the Delhi-NCR area, the sun was visible in the clear blue sky for
multiple days after the lockdown
Delhi was recorded with the lowest
level of PM10 (micro particles in the air) since August 18 last year. The PM10
level was recorded at 32.7 micrograms per cubic meter at 10 am in Delhi-NCR,
the lowest since the minimum recorded at 15.9 micrograms per cubic meter on
August 18 last year. The air quality index in the city was 40, which is categorised
as 'good'.
However, the experts are concerned and also warned
that the level would rise rapidly after the pandemic as the countries will
reboot its economy.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF LOCKDOWN:
1. Denting of India GDP- Worse that India’s 2008 global
financial crisis.
2. Push back in international
trade
3. Wiping away of equity investor wealth
4. Idealness, sluggishness and mental hazards.
5. Increase in poverty alleviation.
6. Unavailability of resource.
7. It’s more like a ‘life trapped in a cage’.
8. Intense Depression faced by economies.
9. Education which is considered as a monitory asset
is being devastated across the
countries.
10. Business winding/shutdown and failures.
11. Increase in number of voluntary deaths
(suicides).
12. Unfriendly acquisition and takeovers- for example
takeovers initiated by Chinese companies against leading Australian companies
and MNC’s
13. Rising unemployment rate
14. Rising inflation and hoarding
15. Hampering cross national relations
16. Monetary losses
17. Migrants hardships
18. Hardships of daily wagers- in context to zero
income, hunger and malnutrition
19. Transportation hurdles for migrants and daily
wage workers
Household and care work burden
GENERAL POSITIVE IMPACTS OF LOCKDOWN:
1. Revision
of basic hygiene practices like washing hands frequently, cleanliness and
sanitizing of surroundings and proper coughing etiquettes.
2. Increased
inter personal relationships, love, warmth, affection, affiliation and
belongingness between the family members which was ruined with the presence of
technological sophistication.
3. Adoption
of more traditions practices like Yoga and meditation over gym exercises.
4. Rise
in immunity boosting diets over junk food and calories consuming diet.
5. Sparkling
creativity
6. Increase
productivity resulting in saving of
time, money and energy
ENVIRONMENT
RELATED POSITIVE IMPACTS:
- Sealing of borders and all unnecessary movements of human and traffic are restricted.
- Slowdown in agricultural, industrial, construction and commercial activities and pollutants.
- Improvement in quality air index.
- Reduction in nitrous oxides produced from car engines and power plants across the blocked countries.
- Reduction in other harmful gases like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which causes greenhouse effect
- Fall in amount of accumulated wastage, emissions and chemicals into the environment.
- Aquatic and wildlife rehabilitation.
- Stabilizing climate.
- Lowered levels of categories of pollution- air, water, soil and noise.
Conclusion
It is clearly evident that from
the facts and current scenario that if man stays in harmony with nature and
other living organisms we can together build a sustainable future. This
pandemic has set reset button on most of the things. One major positive effect
is that we have started appreciating old values and simple things in life. Human’s
retreat from the public spaces has provided co-existence for
other living organisms (nature returns). Human don’t own the planet and hence
should focus on co-habitation by sharing the ecosystem.
Lockdown has ensured SURVIVAL OF FITTEST
intensely
Current situation is proving to
be beneficial for the environment, however researchers and scientists are
worrying that these facts may get reverse again and would rapidly spike up once
things restore to normal. That is something we do not expect, however, only
passing time will let us know what we will seek from the future
Our response to emergent situation
will shape the climate changes for next few coming decades. The efforts
encourage economic activity — the stimulus plans, bailouts and back-to-work
programs being developed now — will help forming the shape of our economies and
our lives for the foreseeable future, and they will have negative effects on
carbon related emissions that will reverberate across the planet for thousands
of prospective years.
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AUTHOR:
KUNICA RAHUL NARANG
