A second big lockdown is now upon Bengalureans, and the associated hassles are bound to make lives and livelihoods tough. But last year, despite their challenges, citizens had generally welcomed the clean air that followed. Are they looking forward to the ecological benefits this time?
DH interacts with a cross-section of people to find out. Jithil Fernandes K, a resident of Viveknagar, has this to say: “The lockdown last year had caused an unprecedented downfall in the global economy. It also led to a change in people’s commute options. People now prefer to stay and work from home isolation for their safety, leading to reduced usage of personal as well as public transport facilities.”
Generally, she says, these vehicles consume fossil fuels, releasing carbon monoxide which is a great threat to the environment. “Now with the lockdown, transportation is reduced. Therefore, pollution is also significantly decreased.”
However, Jithil notes, “This does not change the fact that pollution is caused by other factors such as air conditioners and refrigerators that release harmful substances into the atmosphere. In recent times, due to increased heat, there is an increased usage of such machines, which is a factor causing pollution.”
Lydia Lincy, a student of Jyoti Nivas College, has a different view. She explains, “Covid-19 has made a big impact on the economy. It has exposed how we have failed in sustainable development and made compromises with both nature and growth.”
She makes a distinction between the last lockdown and the current one. “Unlike the last time, people are now more aware of the pandemic and are not going out unnecessarily. During the first lockdown, it was a new disease and most did not understand the importance of staying at home safe and sound,” she says.
Since the second wave is more lethal, she says almost everyone is now aware of the safety requirements. “Compared to the last lockdown, less number of people are travelling, and thus the pollution levels are bound to reduce even further,” Lydia explains.
Sathish, a resident of Indiranagar, observes: “It is too early to compare the pollution drop levels between the current lockdown and last year’s. In 2020, everything was completely shut, there was no movement of vehicles, and industries came to a complete stop. So far this year, we have not had that kind of a restriction.”
The drop in vehicular emissions and water pollution is not perceptible. But it may change with a lockdown that extends for a longer period of time.
Tavarekere resident Bhagyashree says, “Pollution from industries and domestic households are entirely different. Industrial pollution might have shrunk due to the global pandemic but the domestic pollution caused by humans has not shrunk whether it’s the first or second lockdown.”
She adds, “We don’t have a proper system to clean up domestic waste which contaminates water bodies and air mass. The Government has failed us in every way they could. First, the World Health Organization warned about the second wave, which was ignored. Then they exported the vaccine and ignored people who lost their jobs, and now there is a shortage of oxygen supply.”
She wonders why the Government did not learn from the first wave. “All these lockdowns could have been avoided if the Government had planned for the second wave. The system has collapsed now,” she says, citing a report from an international newspaper.