May 05, 2020
It has been more than 40 days since India is in a complete nation lockdown. On 24 Mar 2020, Prime Minister Modi announced a complete lockdown for 21 days, the lockdown began to extend in phases and is expected to end on 17 May 2020. The lockdown has a huge impact on nature, and the water bodies too. The quality of the water in the holy rivers namely the Ganga and the Yamuna has improved a lot whereas the usage of groundwater has increased. Let us have look at the merits and demerits of the lockdown on water bodies:
Merits:
- ● The water quality in the Ganga and Yamuna has improved a lot.
- ● The Ganga and Yamuna have become cleaner than ever before and are least polluted right now.
- ● Not only the Ganga and the Yamuna other water bodies like lakes, ponds, etc. have become less polluted and appear cleaner.
- ● The entry of industrial waste, sewage, and agricultural waste have been paused due to the absence of human activities.
- ● The water from the Ganga and the Yamuna are fit for human consumption according to the environmental experts.
- ● Aquatic animals also being spotted frequently on the river banks.
- ● Aquatic plants have also grown more in this lockdown period.
- ● Environmental balance in aquatic life is expected to be fantastic.
Demerits:
- ● There has been a huge demand and usage for the groundwater in the urban areas.
- ● The consumption of the groundwater in the urban areas has increased up to 3 fold.
All we can do is to use the groundwater wisely as the scarcity of the groundwater may arise in the summer season. The sewage from the buildings should be properly treated at the Sewage Treatment Plant and the overflow of the sewage should be regularly checked.
