NEW DELHI: People in around 78 per cent of Indian cities breathed clean air during the first phase of lockdown from March 25 to April 15 and more cities recorded air quality within national standards and no city entered the poor category status, according to a CPCB report.
‘The Impact of Lockdown on Air Quality’ report by the Central Pollution Control Board said: “78 per cent of the cities in the Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin are falling in the good and satisfactory categories in the lockdown phase, increasing from the average of 44 per cent seen in the pre-lockdown phase.”
Among the cities in poor category during the lockdown period, instances of Singrauli and Brajrajnagar are found frequently.
“Under the nationwide lockdown, all transport services – road, air and rail were suspended with exceptions for essential services. Educational institutions, industrial establishments and hospitality services were also suspended. As a result, air quality improvement has been noted in many towns and cities across the nation,” said the report.