The document summarizes the environmental impacts of the coronavirus crisis and lockdowns. It notes that air pollution decreased in many cities around the world as emissions from vehicles and industry declined. Studies found significant reductions in particulate matter levels. However, issues with improper disposal of pandemic waste including used masks and gloves emerged, and threats to ecosystems increased as environmental protection workers were unable to monitor protected areas. Overall, lockdowns provided evidence that air quality can improve with reduced activity, but long-term change requires ongoing efforts.

1. Environmental impacts of coronavirus crisis, challenges ahead
Anup Muni Bajracharya

2. Corona Virus/ COVID-19

3. Classification
• Order: Nidovirales
• Family: Coronaviridae
Torovirus
Human torovirus
Coronavirus
Species-
Human coronavirus 229E
Human coronavirus OC43
Human coronavirus NL63
Human coronavirus HKU1
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus
Human enteric coronavirus
Genus

4. Structure
Positive sense single stranded RNA
Genome ∼30 000 nucleotides long
Pleomorphic viruses
80 × 160 nm diameter, with 12–24 nm
surface projections (spikes) that
cause the corona (Latin: crown)
appearance
Major proteins:
S – spike
E – envelope
M – membrane
N – nucleocapsid

5. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus.

7. Nepal has been under a lockdown since
March 24 with restricted public and
transport movement across the country.
Coronavirus infections
Stay-at-home orders
schools, offices and factories limited their
activities/ closed
Road traffic dwindled to a minimum and
Airlines reduced/cancelled scheduled flights
Lockdown has brought down air pollution
levels

8. Air Pollution

9. Air quality improved in the world's most polluted cities such as Bangalore, Beijing, Bangkok,
Delhi, and Nanjing, as well as the major trade centers such as New York, London, Paris,
Seoul, Sydney, and Tokyo.
Researchers measured six major pollutants, including PM2.5 and PM10, to record how air
quality improved under lockdown and travel restrictions. Researchers compared pollution
levels of February and March in 2019 with February and March 2020.
Study found that PM 2.5 concentration saw a significant decline in 17 cities in February
2020 compared to February 2019, and 14 cities witnessed declines in March 2020
compared to the same month last year.
The study conducted on 40 major cities of the world from all the six continents,
shows that air pollution levels have significantly declined in cities under lockdown.
PM2.5 and PM10 had decreased from 135.4 μg/m3 to 108.3 μg/m3 and 54.6 μg/m3 to
42.2 μg/m3 respectively in Kathmandu before and after the lockdown was enforced. Air
quality has also improved in Biratnagar and Pokhara after enforcement of the lockdown.
The WHO air quality guideline for24-hour mean PM 2. 5 should not exceed 25 μg/m³ and
that for PM10 should not exceed 50 μg/m³.
Reference- https://tkpo.st/3cXZKLM

10. Clean Air- positive aspects of Lockdown

12. Here's a look before and after the lockdown began in various cities around the world.

14. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency)
released fresh evidence which suggests that environmental quality improved and the
emission of NO2 reduced up to 30%.
Muhammad, S., Long, X. and Salman, M., 2020. COVID-19 pandemic and environmental
pollution: A blessing in disguise?. Science of The Total Environment, 728, p.138820.

15. Open garbage burning and
Air pollution

16. • However, despite the sharp reduction in fossil fuel consumption, Air Quality
Index (AQI) in Kathmandu did not improve as much as expected in April-May.
• The reason was wildfires in Dhading, Nuwakot and Chitwan in early April.
But even after the rains, open garbage burning in the Valley

18. Air pollution worsens COVID-19 impact
• In a study scheduled to be
published in the
journal Science of The Total
Environment on 20 July,
Chinese scientists report a
clear association between
short-term exposure to air
pollution and COVID-19
infection.
• In particular, positive
associations of PM2.5,
PM10, CO, NO2 and O3 has
been established with
COVID-19 confirmed cases
in 120 cities from 23
January 23 to 29 February
in China.
Can atmospheric pollution also increase SARS-
CoV-2 lethality?
Yes, say Italian researchers in a paper to be
published in June in the journal Environmental
Pollution.
Another study conducted in Italy concludes
that the chronic exposure to atmospheric
contamination may help spread of the virus.
“We know air pollution leads to respiratory
and cardiac diseases. And looking at the
general trend of COVID-19, places with poor
air quality seems to have higher coronavirus
deaths,”

19. Biological air pollution

20. Different Kinds of Surfaces
• Metal- Examples: doorknobs, jewelry, silverware- 5 days
• Wood- Examples: furniture, decking 4 days
• Plastics Examples: milk containers and detergent bottles, subway and bus seats, backpacks,
elevator buttons- 2 to 3 days
• Stainless steel- Examples: refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles- 2 to 3 days
• Cardboard- Examples: shipping boxes - 24 hours
• Copper-Examples: pennies, teakettles, cookware-4 hours
• Aluminum- Examples: soda cans, tinfoil, water bottles- 2 to 8 hours
• Glass- Examples: drinking glasses, measuring cups, mirrors, windows- Up to 5 days
• Ceramics- Examples: dishes, pottery, mugs- 5 days
• Paper- Examples: mail, newspaper- The length of time varies. Some strains of coronavirus live
for only a few minutes on paper, while others live for up to 5 days.
• Food- Examples: takeout, produce Coronavirus doesn't seem to spread through food.
• Water- Coronavirus hasn't been found in drinking water. If it does get into the water supply,
local water treatment plant filters and disinfects the water, which should kill any germs.
• Fabrics- Examples: clothes, linens- There’s not much research about how long the virus lives
on fabric, but it’s probably not as long as on hard surfaces.
• Shoes- One study tested the shoe soles of medical staff in a Chinese hospital intensive care
unit (ICU) and found that half were positive for nucleic acids from the virus. But it’s not clear
whether these pieces of the virus cause infection.

21. Littered masks, gloves and other personal protection
gear, dumped on sidewalks, outside grocery stores and
near water bodies by the general public.

22. • In Thane, India a man was caught putting over
100,000 used face masks out to dry so that he
could resell them in the market, the Times of
India reported on March 12, 2020.
• Sanitiser bottles , masks thrown in the ocean,
water bodies is one thing, but these are
hazardous materials which are biological.
• Use of PPEs - most of which contain certain
plastic material, is setting the stage for a
global plastic waste management crisis.
• plastics that are currently being used
extensively, as 'pandemic plastics
• source of infection for sanitation workers as
well as the environment if not discarded
properly
‘Workers must have safety gear, waste be
incinerated’

23. Hospital waste
• A heap of medical waste was
found lying in the open in
different cities. Discarded face
masks, tunics, gowns, caps
and syringes were found in
the dump.
Incinerator room

24. Solution Box
• Decontaminate waste with sanitisers, put into a separate
bag and bin;
• Use reusable cloth masks that can be washed and
reused.
• For quarantine camps and home care of the suspected
patients, it is advised collection of biomedical waste in
yellow bags; bins containing these should be handed
over to authorised collectors.
• Sanitary staff should be provided safety gear such as
masks

25. Organic waste/Food waste-Garbage
• Volumes of unrecyclable waste have risen; severe cuts
in agricultural and fishery export levels have led to the
generation of large quantities of organic waste;
• Waste management temporarily halted.
• Local waste problems have emerged as many
municipalities have suspended their recycling activities
over fears of virus propagation in recycling centres.
• Due to stay-at-home policies, many consumers have
increased their consumption of take-away food
delivered with single-use packaging.

26. Ecosystems at risk
• Natural ecosystems and protected species are at risk during the
coronavirus crisis.
• In many countries, environmental protection workers at national
parks and land and marine conservation zones are required to stay
at home in lockdown, leaving these areas unmonitored.
• Their absence has resulted in a rise of illegal deforestation, fishing
and wildlife hunting.
• The stoppage of ecotourism activity has also left natural ecosystems
at risk of illegal harvesting and encroachment.
• In addition, as ecotourism is often a major economic mainstay in
many destinations, rising unemployment caused by the crisis may
lead many households to harvest resources from fragile
ecosystems unsustainably as they seek alternative means to
provide their households with food and income.

27. At last
• COVID-19 is a global pandemic and serious threat to human
health which halt the economic activities, however it is also
considered as a “Blessing in Disguise”, where pollution is
reducing and nature is reclaiming itself.
• Many of the environmental challenges caused by the
coronavirus crisis will gradually resolve on their own once
the crisis comes to an end and previous levels of economic
activity resume.
• But it is also true that the benefits of air pollution
reductions will also be erased. Overall, the crisis may thus
have no permanent environmental effects.
• This positive impact on environment may be temporary but
governments and individuals should learn from this
lockdown on how to reduce pollution on long term basis.

28. Reference
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_COVID-
19_pandemic_on_the_environment
• Sanitation Workers At Risk From Discarded Medical
Waste Related To Covid-19-
https://www.bloombergquint.com/coronavirus-
outbreak/sanitation-workers-at-risk-from-discarded-
medical-waste-related-to-covid-19
• Nepal lockdown proves air quality can be improved
• https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-
lockdown-proves-air-quality-can-be-improved/