Impact of lockdown associated with COVID19 on air quality and emissions from transportation sector: case study in selected Indian metropolitan cities

Abstract

This study examines the impact of air quality in selected Indian metropolitan cities during the COVID19 pandemic lockdown period. Concentrations of air quality parameters such as PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , and CO during the transition to lockdown and the actual lockdown period were compared with business as usual periods (a period prior to COVID19 lockdown and a corresponding period in 2019) to estimate the reduction in emission in four major IT hubs in India namely Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune. A 40–45% reduction in PM 2.5 concentration was observed, in these cities, during the lockdown compared to the corresponding period in 2019 and a 20–45% reduction was observed compared to business as usual period in 2020. A vehicle kilometer traveled (VKT)-related questionnaire survey-based study in Hyderabad revealed that, with 48% of population utilizing work-from-home during the transition to lockdown period, vehicular PM 2.5 emission in Hyderabad reduced by 54% compared to usual traffic emissions prior to COVID19 lockdown. Furthermore, it was estimated that emission of up to 3243, 777, 113, and 54 tons/year of CO, NOx, PM 2.5 , and SO 2 , respectively, could be avoided in Hyderabad alone, if work-from-home is implemented on a 2 days/week basis. The experience from this study can be used to develop policies favoring reduced use of private vehicles or implementation of work-from-home to combat air pollution and reduce carbon emissions.

Telework, Hybrid Work and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals: Towards Policy Coherence

“…Deaths from air pollution (3.9): Globally, 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO pollution guidelines and, as a result, 4.2 million deaths occur each year as a result of exposure to ambient air pollution [189]. Several studies have shown that when telework reduces traffic and congestion, it also has considerable benefits in terms of improved air quality [6,7,[75][76][77][78]. However, some of these results are likely conflated by the current lockdowns, which have made the telework scenario more extreme.…”

Declining carbon emission/concentration during COVID-19: A critical review on temporary relief

“…Moreover, the reduction rate is much higher at urban locations (40%) than at rural and remote locations (10%). Eregowda et al 44 conducted a study to analyze carbon concentration from vehicle movement before and during the lockdown in four major IT hubs of India, namely, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. The results showed that there is a sharp drop in CO concentration by 27.6, 13.4, 9.8, and 37.1% in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune, respectively, as most of the IT companies opted for a work-from-home culture during the lockdown.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Air Quality—A Global Review

“…City scale 2021 PM 2.5 was reduced by about 40 to 45% during lockdown periods in comparison to the previous two years [33].…”