Over the last one week or so the sky over Islamabad is striking blue while nights are brighter than ever. At night you can see far more stars. Even the North Star is now clearly visible. The air is less polluted and all those who suffer from asthma are breathing quite easily. All of it is so because the particulate matter is down to 25 micrograms per cubic meter, much lower than the World Health Organisation's (WHO's) and the Ambient Air Quality Index's (AQI's) standards of Pak-EPA, which is 35 micrograms per cubic meter. The particulate matter is commonly referred to as PM2.5 because the particulates are less than or equal to 2.5 microns in diameter. According to Pak-EPA chief Farzana Altaf Sheikh, 'you feel the fresher breath of air over the capital because of a massive decline in industrial activities, construction, solid waste burning and more importantly because there is lesser traffic on roads'. "Vehicular traffic - each household has minimum two cars - is a major contributor to air pollution, almost 43%," she says. The second major contributor is said to be solid waste burning, and that too is on decline as people now buy only necessary items and hence less trash to be disposed of. Obviously, the air in the federal capital is quite pleasant because of coronavirus-driven lockdowns in other major urban centres as well. And so is the case across the globe. An unexpected impact of massive economic slowdown due to coronavirus is striking blue skies, clear waters and less-polluted air. With industries closed and cars out of use the air pollution has dissipated in cities. Satellite images show reduced levels of nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of burning of fossil fuels.
But environmental science and policy experts warn against calling this global metamorphosis a "silver lining". They say as and when coronavirus ebbs the pollution levels will return. "This brief period of cleaner air should send a message for people to push for long-term changes," says the Pak-EPA chief. The bitter fact is that President Donald Trump, who described the threat of global warming and climatic change as a "hoax", is now struggling, albeit unsuccessfully, to contain the spread of coronavirus which has chosen his country, the US, as one of its playgrounds. And, certainly the economies of major producers of fossil fuels are at risk at the hands of coronavirus. Mother Nature knows how to strike a delicate balance. The more you are industrialized the more you are at risk of being destabilised. Coronavirus has delivered to the world a three-pronged message. Firstly, the excessive use of fossil fuels leads to global warming that in turn pollutes the environments, causing serious health problems. Secondly, every industry of any kind must ensure that its operation doesn't lead to air pollution. Thirdly, each resident of planet earth must carefully manage its day-to-day needs. A case in point is the nation's capital, Islamabad. There was a time when its sky was rich blue and the mountain streams that run through the city were crystal clear. Unfortunately, however, this is no more the case. Environmental degradation of Islamabad is so obvious that it is not necessary to articulate reasons.