Levels of nitrogen dioxide fell by more than 70 per cent during the lockdown in New Delhi, a UN policy brief said today. According to the brief, the environmental gains could be temporary if the cities re-open without policies to prevent air pollution and promote de-carbonisation.
The UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on ‘COVID-19 in an Urban World’ said that with an estimated 90 per cent of all reported COVID-19 cases, urban areas have become the epicentre of the pandemic. The size of their populations and their high level of global and local interconnectivity make them particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus. It also pointed out that several new scientific studies suggest that poor air quality is correlated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
On COVID-19 outbreaks in informal settlements, the brief said that in Mumbai, as of mid-April 2020, 30 per cent of designated containment zones – which are areas with large outbreaks – were in slums, while 60 per cent were within 100 metres of an informal settlement, it said. The UN chief Antonio Guterres said the state of public services in many cities requires urgent attention, particularly in informal settlements.The brief also recommends that nations must pursue a green, resilient and inclusive economic recovery.
