Coronavirus lockdown impact: Snow capped peaks of majestic Himalayas visible from Saharanpur for the first time in three decades! In Uttar Padesh’s Saharanpur city, people could witness the spectacular view of the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas after three decades, almost like a dream come true. Despite an aerial distance of around 200 kilometers, the peaks of Gangotri could be seen from Saharanpur, a view which became visible after 30 long years. The pictures of the scenic beauty, taken by Income Tax inspector Dushyant, were shared on microblogging site Twitter by IFS officer Ramesh Pandey.
According to Pandey, the lockdown placed across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic and the recent rains have collectively led to a significant improvement in the air quality of the city, leading to the visibility of the Himalayas.
Snow capped peaks of Himalaya are now visible from Saharnpur !
Lockdown and intermittent rains have significantly improved the AQI. These pictures were taken by Dushyant, an Income Tax inspector, from his house at Vasant Vihar colony on Monday evening. #lockdowneffect #nature pic.twitter.com/1vFfJqr05J— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) April 29, 2020
This is not the first instance where nature can be seen healing itself. Earlier this month, people of Jalandhar also witnessed snow-capped mountain peaks of the Himalayas after decades, from a distance of around 160 kilometers.
The pandemic caused several countries to place lockdowns in their respective territories since the coronavirus outbreak started in January, and since then, the reports of improvement in air quality, sightings of vulnerable species and clean rivers have emerged globally.
Due to the lockdown, New Delhi, which is one of the most populated cities in the world, recorded a significant improvement in its AQI as smog reduced considerably, according to an AP report. Similar instances were reported from the US, Rome and China, the report added.
Better air was not the only noticeable change. Several vulnerable animals have also been spotted in the cities across the world. Within a few days of the lockdown, a ‘Nilgai’ was seen wandering on the streets of Noida’s busiest sector, Sector 18, opposite the Great India Place mall. Before that, a rare Malabar civet was seen in Kozhikode, Kerala, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Around the world also, similar sightings have been reported. In Chicago and San Francisco, coyotes have been witnessed meandering, while a puma was seen in Santiago, Chile.