User:Mnyemchek/Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the environment

For instance, a study was conducted on the river Damodar, located in the Jharkhand state in India, as shown in Figure 1, in January 2021, revealing a significant change of the water quality during the pandemic. In the pre-lockdown period, the Water Pollution Index (WPI) of all samples from the river fell between 1.59 to 2.46, indicating a high level of pollution. In contrast, during the lockdown the WPI for water samples ranged from 0.52 to 0.78, indicating that most samples were either ‘good water’ type or of the ‘moderately polluted water’ category. The significant change in WPI demonstrates that due to the shutdowns of heavy industries, there was a reduction in toxic pollutants; thus, increasing the water quality.

Another environmental effect of the COVID-19 virus is the possible transmission of the disease through portable water. Currently, clean water sources are vulnerable to human waste, including stool contamination, as a result, studies have shown that sputum, feces, and urine contain SARS-CoV-2, posing a potential threat to individuals with contaminated water.

https://doi-org.ezp1.villanova.edu/10.1007/s11356-021-16024-5

SpringerLink (Online service), Chakraborty, C., Roy, S., Sharma, S., & Tran, T. A. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Green societies: Environmental sustainability. Springer.

https://doi-org.ezp1.villanova.edu/10.1007/s10668-020-01152-8