Due of the high rates of pollution there, the view from Pathankot, India, normally does not include the Himalayas but this has changed as these rates have fallen to a large degree. This is because people are on lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, which risks lives across the world. People of northern India will see for the first time of 30 years the magnificent Himalayas which are 200 kilometers away.
The distance between the Punjab Indian state and the Moutain Range of the Himalayas is just 200 kilometers shy. And now people of India 's northwestern state can finally see the world's highest mountain range for the first time in nearly 30 years.
One reason for this is the country's declining air pollution levels due to the last month's coronavirus lockdowns imposed.
A study released by the Central Pollution Control Board of the country late last month reported that the national curfew imposed on March 22 and the subsequent lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two days later "resulted in a major improvement in the country's air quality, as revealed by data review and data comparison for the period before restrictions were enforced."
While people questioned the veracity of the statement that the mountains were not seen from Punjab in 30 years, the truth is that for decades residents have never seen anything like this.
Pollution has been a major issue for Indian residents in recent years, with cities from the South Asian country regularly toping the list of "world's most polluted cities" year after year. In 2019 , India toped the worst polluted charts as host to 14 of the twenty cities with the most toxic weather.
A public health emergency was declared in November 2019, after the air quality index ( AQI) level in some parts of New Delhi exceeded 800, which was more than three times the "hazardous" level.
The distance between the Punjab Indian state and the Moutain Range of the Himalayas is just 200 kilometers shy. And now people of India 's northwestern state can finally see the world's highest mountain range for the first time in nearly 30 years.
One reason for this is the country's declining air pollution levels due to the last month's coronavirus lockdowns imposed.
A study released by the Central Pollution Control Board of the country late last month reported that the national curfew imposed on March 22 and the subsequent lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi two days later "resulted in a major improvement in the country's air quality, as revealed by data review and data comparison for the period before restrictions were enforced."
While people questioned the veracity of the statement that the mountains were not seen from Punjab in 30 years, the truth is that for decades residents have never seen anything like this.
Pollution has been a major issue for Indian residents in recent years, with cities from the South Asian country regularly toping the list of "world's most polluted cities" year after year. In 2019 , India toped the worst polluted charts as host to 14 of the twenty cities with the most toxic weather.
A public health emergency was declared in November 2019, after the air quality index ( AQI) level in some parts of New Delhi exceeded 800, which was more than three times the "hazardous" level.