Significant change in air quality parameters during the year 2020 over 1st smart city of India: Bhubaneswar

Abstract

Prevention of Coronavirus results in lockdown in India from 24 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. Eastern India, which is having a dense cluster of coal-fired power plants and home to many mines, mineral industries, has not shutdown power plants and coal mines during this lockdown period, though other industrial and vehicular emissions were almost zero. The present study attempts to find the change in various atmospheric pollutants during this lockdown period over an eastern tropical Indian station—Bhubaneswar, which is the first smart city proposed in smart city mission of Government of India. The study analyses hourly concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NOX, O3, and CO for March–May 2019 and 2020. The study shows a significant increase (rather than decrease) in PM2.5 and PM10, increase in O3 and a decrease in CO and NOX during the lockdown period. Results are advocating the impact of transported pollution over the study area for maintaining the PM2.5 and PM10 values even during the lockdown situation.