The lockdowns that many countries have imposed on their citizens to reduce the spread of the coronavirus have certainly caused much anxiety and stress to people. However, they have had a very positive and beneficial impact on the environment.
World pollution levels are down, water bodies and rivers and getting cleaner, and many animals are back to their natural habitats.
One other such marvelous incident is that the Himalayan mountain range is now visible clearly from about 100 miles away from the state of Punjab in India!
Residents in the city of Jalandhar in Punjab and areas in the vicinity posted some awe-inspiring pictures of the magnificent Himalayan range of mountains. Many of them said that they hadn’t seen these peaks in over three decades.
Indian cricketer and ace spin bowler Harbhajan Singh shared a picture on his social media account that clearly showed the Himalayan range.
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
In response, quite a few others posted some breathtaking pictures of the Himalayas, a mountain range that has many of the Earth’s highest peaks, including the Mount Everest – the highest.
The same mountains from my home ? #Nozoom pic.twitter.com/4zHwyoMp4R
— Abbu Pandit (@abbu_pandit) April 3, 2020
This is another of those beautiful pictures.
Thoda aur pass bhaji bhai.. from my home @Dharamshala pic.twitter.com/m7nnQTpzCi
— gulshan patiyal (@gull_1985) April 3, 2020
Due to the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last week of March, India has seen a dramatic improvement in air quality levels. With most people off roads, all industries shut, and all flights cancelled, the lockdown has brought about a pleasant, albeit unintentional, reduction in pollution levels. Otherwise, India is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world.
With all the healing that Mother Earth is undergoing due to the coronavirus lockdowns, one wonders whether this is nature’s way of telling us that we are its guests and not its masters! We must learn from this and ensure that we do not exploit nature and the earth. Do you agree?
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