The Himalayas Are Visible From India, Thanks to Drop in Indian Pollution

The Himalayas Are Now Visible For the First Time in Nearly 30 Years, Thanks to Clean Air From Lockdown

What a difference a lockdown makes.
by Kyzia Maramara | April 09, 2020

As the rest of the world struggles to slow down the coronavirus pandemic, countries have issued lockdowns in major cities to protect their citizens. India is no different.

On March 24, the government issued a lockdown that effectively closed markets, shopping malls, and factories, and suspended public transportation. Citizens are required to stay at home and practice social distancing. Weeks later, the lockdown is taking effect not only through battling the virus but also in improving environmental conditions.

Major cities across India, once dubbed as some of the most polluted cities in the world, have reported improvement in air quality. After pollutants released by vehicles and power plants decreased, just like what happened in the Philippines, the air became noticeably cleaner.

via TWITTER/parasrishi

Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising effect of the lockdown for India is that the air is so clear that parts of the Himalayan Mountain Range became visible to the naked eye.

Just last week, the people of Jalandhar in Punjab, on the northern region of India, had the privilege to wake up to the marvelous, clear view of the Himalayas’ Dhauladhar range. The snow-capped mountains are more than 200km away. People claim that this is the first time in almost 30 years that the mountain range became visible from that far.

Photos of the Dhauldhar range from different vantage points were posted on social media.

See this , more beautiful pic.twitter.com/NB0LVi3CAc

— Abbu Pandit (@abbu_pandit) April 4, 2020

Never seen Dhauladar range from my home rooftop in Jalandhar..never could imagine that’s possible..clear indication of the impact the pollution has done by us to Mother Earth 🌍.. this is the view pic.twitter.com/laRzP8QsZ9

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) April 3, 2020

What nature was..
And what we had done to it🙂

This is Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal , seen after 30 years, from Jalandhar(Punjab) after pollution drops to the lowest level in 30 years. This is approx. 200 km away straight.

Sent by a friend. Don’t know if true🙏 pic.twitter.com/CMPj6qVmjx

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 3, 2020

With a few more weeks of quarantine left for different cities around the world. One can’t help but wonder if other marvels await us as the air pollution levels continue to decrease. At this point, it’s just safe to say that Earth is truly getting its much-needed rest alongside the quarantined people.