Positive Impacts of Lockdown on the Environment

My name is Amandeep Singh. I am fifteen years old and am studying in Class 10 at the Government High School in Kaluchak, Jammu. I have created a model depicting the Positive Impacts of Lockdown on the Environment. The model is made majorly out of material already available at home, including P.O.P., cardboard, paints, etc.

Through this model, I tried to replicate an industrial area and its surroundings. I have made a factory surrounded by a road, a river and a piece of land. The factory, as shown in this model, is functional. It emits harmful fumes into the environment and pollutes the river with garbage and other chemical pollutants, thus adding to air pollution and making the water unfit for use. The piece of land surrounding the factory also becomes infertile as waste is dumped onto it. Normally, the heap of factory’s garbage on the land is burnt, adding to the already high level of pollutants in the air. This model paints a picture of the times before the Government called for the nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak of Corona virus (COVID 19).

If we do not run the factory for a while, the model begins to show the positive impact of lockdown on the environment. It depicts the gravity of change that we saw in the last 30 to 40 days. The visibility was very low earlier due to smog and other air pollutants, and the sky was filled with grey clouds of smoke and dust. Now, after the lockdown period, we see an impressive change in the surroundings. The environment looks cleaner and greener. The visibility has also increased due to clearing of the smoke clouds. Even the river that was earlier polluted is now much cleaner. Some of the waste that had been dumped into the dried up land and burnt, acted as manure to the soil, enriching it and turning the once dry field green. The now fertilized soil is now providing nourishment to the flora.

The lockdown has helped the environment to heal; pollution has decreased significantly. This period of staying at home made it possible for the environment to go back to its cleaner and greener state, while keeping us safe from the spread of COVID 19. It is, therefore, my humble request to everyone to follow the lockdown religiously as it is our true guard against the pandemic.