Significant drop in air pollution amid lockdown

Residents say their health improved due to reduced pollutants in the air

KARACHI: While the imposition of the coronavirus lockdown has adversely affected almost all aspects of life, there is one silver lining to emerge from the situation: a decrease in environmental pollution because of reduced traffic on the roads and limited factory hours.

A recent report released by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) revealed that the lockdown has led to significant reduction in air and noise pollution in big cities like Karachi.

The SEPA report collected 76 samples for air and noise pollution from different parts of the six districts of Karachi. Per the results, the lockdown resulted in a 39 per cent improvement in the city’s air quality, together with a 40 per cent decrease in noise levels.

The air quality in Central district improved by eight per cent, in East district by 61 per cent, in South district by 40 per cent, and in West district by 37 per cent.

How do people feel about improved air quality?

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Saman, an asthma patient who lives in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, said that the improvement in air quality due to reduced traffic on the roads had significantly improved her condition.

“As someone who regularly travels in buses to commute to my university, I used to face breathing difficulties because of the pollutants in the air,” said Saman. “Even though I am not leaving the house unnecessarily, I go out for a walk in the evening sometimes and my asthma does not get aggravated because the air seems to be comparatively cleaner than before.”

A resident of Frere Town, Qamar Shah, whose apartment is situated on a main road, said that he finally felt a bit relieved during the lockdown because of the reduction in noise pollution.

“Since my apartment faces the road, I have to listen to traffic throughout the day, even at night when I am trying to sleep,” Shah said. “With the imposition of a lockdown in the city, however, I finally had some peaceful days and nights. But now that the situation has returned to normal, I can feel a sharp increase in noise pollution once again.”

Health issues caused by air pollution

Shedding light on how air pollution can lead to lung disease, Indus Hospital’s Pulmonology Department head Dr Sohail Akhtar said that factories and cars release various toxic gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and methane, among others, that can have detrimental effects on a person’s health if they are constantly inhaled.

“Many lung diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), happen because of daily exposure to air pollutants,” he said. “Research on asthma patients has shown that although a person’s genetic disposition plays an important role in the development of these diseases, environmental pollution is also one of the main factors, particularly in bigger cities.”

Speaking about the current situation, Dr Akhtar said that the coronavirus was a very new kind of virus and it was too early to say anything about its long-term effects. However, he added, it was important for people with underlying lung problems, like asthma and COPD, to keep a check on their conditions.

“People should be careful so that even if they contract Covid-19, their immune systems can save them. The best solution for any individual - healthy or otherwise - to protect their lungs and boost immunity is to quit smoking,” he stressed. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.