The air is pure and the surroundings are clear. With no let up in coronavirus and most of the countries in lock down, the pollution has recorded a drastic decline. The data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows large scale decreases in air pollutant concentrations, especially nitrogen dioxide in the air.
The EEA measures air pollution hourly at about 3,000 stations across Europe. Agency Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said that the data showed a drop in air pollution, especially because of reduced traffic in the cities and shut down of industries.
The data showed that Milan had 24 per cent lower concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide this week than the past four weeks. It said that the average Nitrogen Dioxide concentration during March 16-22 was 21 per cent lower than for the same week in 2019. Bergamo also showed constant decline in Nitrogen Dioxide over the past four weeks. The Nitrogen Dioxide average concentration during March 16-22 was 47 per cent lesser than the same week in 2019.
The European Environment Agency said that Rome recorded 26-35 per cent lower Nitrogen Dioxide concentration than for the same week in 2019. The Nitrogen Dioxide level in Barcelona went down to 55 per cent during the period. Average Nitrogen Dioxide levels in Madrid had a lower 56 per cent concentration. Lisbon showed a decrease of 40 per cent.
