DEVELOPMENT OF AIR QUALITY AND BRICK KILNS DURING THE ONSET OF COVID-19: AN ANALYSIS

S PERVAIZ; FZ KHAN; K JAVID; A ALTAF; F ASLAM; MAA TAHIR; B TALIB; H ARIF; S HAYAT

doi:10.54112/bcsrj.v2022i1.122

Authors

S PERVAIZ Enviornmental Protection Agency Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
FZ KHAN Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Laboratories Complex, Lahore, Pakistan
K JAVID Department of Geography, Government College University Lahore, Pakistan
A ALTAF Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore Pakistan
F ASLAM Department of Environmental Science, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
MAA TAHIR Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan
B TALIB Centre for Integrated Mountain Research, (CIMR), University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
H ARIF Department of City and Regional Planning, Lahore College fro Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
S HAYAT Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54112/bcsrj.v2022i1.122

Keywords:

COVID-19, air, NDVI, Punjab smog, IDZZK

Abstract

Coronavirus and air pollution,having a positive correlation, are inauspiciouslythe greatest challenge of the millennium. Therefore, the study presented the initial outcomes from the analysis of the COVID-19 impact on (1) air qualityand, (2)informal sector i.e. old technology brick kiln industry. In order to evaluate the progress, the spatial analysis was carried out,comprising aerosol optical depth, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and ozone with the inclusion of metrological element i.e. rainfall and environmental index (NDVI). The results of the spatial data indicated that the air quality of Punjab improved with the lockdown policy. However, improvements vary across the districts and were absent in a few districts where no strict lockdown policy was observed. During lock-down,fluctuation in rainfall and decrease in NDVI,which had no positive impact in reducing the pollutants concentration in the atmosphere, was observed. The spatial correlation results presented that the pandemic lock-down helped in the reduction of the extent of air pollution. In addition, in the COVID-19 anthropause, Government of the Punjab initiated a stringent action to ban outdated brick kilns causing air pollution. Resultant, conversion of old technology brick kilns into Zig-Zag Technology is a remarkable step to mitigate smog.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmed, I., Ahmed, S., Hussain, J., Ullah, A., & Judge, J. (2018). Assessing the impact of climate variability on maize using simulation modeling under semi-arid environment of Punjab, Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(28), 28413-28430.

Alam, M. Z., Armin, E., Haque, M., Kayesh, J. H. E., & Qayum, A. (2018). Air pollutants and their possible health effects at different locations in Dhaka City. Journal of Current Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences, 8(1), 111.

Allu, S. K., Reddy, A., Srinivasan, S., Maddala, R. K., & Anupoju, G. R. (2021). Surface ozone and its precursor gases concentrations during COVID-19 lockdown and pre-lockdown periods in Hyderabad city, India. Environmental Processes, 8(2), 959-972.

Anil, I., & Alagha, O. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality of Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 14(1), 117-128.

Bang, A., & Khadakkar, S. (2020). Biodiversity conservation during a global crisis: Consequences and the way forward. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(48), 29995-29999.

Bahukhandi, K., Agarwal, S., & Singhal, S. (2020). Impact of lockdown Covid-19 pandemic on himalayan environment. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 1-15.

Bajracharya, S. B., Mishra, A., Hussain, A., Gurung, K., Mathema, L., & Banmali Pradhan, B. (2022). Do working and living conditions influence brick-kiln productivity? Evidence from Nepal. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 28(3), 1452-1460.

Balasubramaniam, D., Kanmanipappa, C., Shankarlal, B., & Saravanan, M. (2020). Assessing the impact of lockdown in US, Italy and France–What are the changes in air quality?. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 1-11.

Barouki, R., Kogevinas, M., Audouze, K., Belesova, K., Bergman, A., Birnbaum, L., ... & HERA-COVID-19 working group. (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic and global environmental change: Emerging research needs. Environment international, 146, 106272.

Coccia, M. (2021). Effects of the spread of COVID-19 on public health of polluted cities: results of the first wave for explaining the dejà vu in the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and epidemics of future vital agents. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(15), 19147-19154.

Czerwińska, J., & Wielgosiński, G. (2020). The effect of selected meteorological factors on the process of" Polish smog" formation. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 21(1).

Dhaka, S. K., Kumar, V., Panwar, V., Dimri, A. P., Singh, N., Patra, P. K., ... & Hayashida, S. (2020). PM2. 5 diminution and haze events over Delhi during the COVID-19 lockdown period: An interplay between the baseline pollution and meteorology. Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-8.

Darain, K. M. U., Jumaat, M. Z., Islam, A. S., Obaydullah, M., Iqbal, A., Adham, M. I., & Rahman, M. M. (2016). Energy efficient brick kilns for sustainable environment. Desalination and Water Treatment, 57(1), 105-114.

David, M., Afzal, M., Shoaib, M., Aman, F., Cloete, K. J., Turi, N., & Jahan, S. (2020). Study of occupational exposure to brick kiln emissions on heavy metal burden, biochemical profile, cortisol level and reproductive health risks among female workers at Rawat, Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(35), 44073-44088.

Ahmad, D., & Afzal, M. (2020). Flood hazards and factors influencing household flood perception and mitigation strategies in Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(13), 15375-15387.

El Garouani, M., Amyay, M., Lahrach, A., & Oulidi, H. J. (2021). Land Surface Temperature in Response to Land Use/Cover Change Based on Remote Sensing Data and GIS Techniques: Application to Saïss Plain, Morocco. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 22(7).

Ercelawn, A., & Nauman, M. (2004). Unfree labour in South Asia: Debt bondage at brick kilns in Pakistan. Economic and Political Weekly, 2235-2242.

Fan L, Fu S, Wang X, Fu Q, Jia H, Xu H, Cheng J. Fan, L., Fu, S., Wang, X., Fu, Q., Jia, H., Xu, H., ... & Cheng, J. (2021). Spatiotemporal variations of ambient air pollutants and meteorological influences over typical urban agglomerations in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 106, 26-38.

Filonchyk, M., Hurynovich, V., Yan, H., Gusev, A., & Shpilevskaya, N. (2020). Impact assessment of COVID-19 on variations of SO2, NO2, CO and AOD over East China. Aerosol and air quality research, 20(7), 1530-1540.

Fu, F., Purvis-Roberts, K. L., & Williams, B. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on air pollution in 20 major cities around the world. Atmosphere, 11(11), 1189.

Ghahremanloo, M., Lops, Y., Choi, Y., & Mousavinezhad, S. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on air pollution levels in East Asia. Science of the Total Environment, 754, 142226.

Guha, S., & Govil, H. (2021). COVID-19 lockdown effect on land surface temperature and normalized difference vegetation index. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 12(1), 1082-1100.

Han, G., Gong, W., Quan, J. H., Li, J., & Zhang, M. (2014). Spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants emitted because of Chinese New Year's Eve celebrations in Wuhan. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 16(4), 916-923.

Hashim, B. M., Al-Naseri, S. K., Al-Maliki, A., & Al-Ansari, N. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on NO2, O3, PM2. 5 and PM10 concentrations and assessing air quality changes in Baghdad, Iraq. Science of the Total Environment, 754, 141978.

Hussain, B., Naqvi, S. A. A., Anwar, S., Shah, S. A. R., & Shah, A. A. (2021). Zig-zag technology adoption behavior among brick kiln owners inPakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(33), 45168-45182.

ICIMOD. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. A big push for climate-friendly brick production in Pakistan. [Internet]. 2021. [cited 2022 February 5]. Avaialable from: https://www.icimod.org/article/a-big-push-for-climate-friendly-brick-production-in-pakistan/

Irfan, M., Riaz, M., Arif, M. S., Shahzad, S. M., Hussain, S., Akhtar, M. J., ... & Abbas, F. (2015). Spatial distribution of pollutant emissions from crop residue burning in the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan: uncertainties and challenges. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 22(21), 16475-16491.

Javid, K., Akram, M. A. N., Ranjha, M. M., & Pervaiz, S. (2020). GIS-based assessment of aridity over Punjab Province, Pakistan, by using climatic indices. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 13(7), 1-12.

Jethva, H., Torres, O., Field, R. D., Lyapustin, A., Gautam, R., & Kayetha, V. (2019). Connecting crop productivity, residue fires, and air quality over northern India. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-11.

Kamal, A., Malik, R. N., Martellini, T., & Cincinelli, A. (2014). Cancer risk evaluation of brick kiln workers exposed to dust bound PAHs in Punjab province (Pakistan). Science of the total environment, 493, 562-570.

Kaur, A., & Rani, J. (2016). An approach to detect stubble burned areas in Punjab by digitally analyzing satellite images. Journal for Research| Volume, 2(06).

Keller, C. A., Knowland, K. E., Duncan, B. N., Liu, J., Anderson, D. C., Das, S., ... & Pawson, S. (2021). Description of the NASA GEOS composition forecast modeling system GEOS‐CF v1. 0. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 13(4), e2020MS002413.

Khan, K. A., Mubbin, M., ul Haq, M. I., Hussain, N., Maqbool, M. M., Ahmad, M., ... & Batool, T. (2020). Air Quality Index with Particulate Matter (PM2. 5) Improved after National Lockdown during COVID-19 Outbreak across Pakistan. Op Acc J Bio Sci & Res, 3(2).

Khan, N. (2020). An Exploratory study of impact of lockdown on air quality of Delhi. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 8(5), 261-268.

Khaliq, A., Chaudhry, M. N., Sajid, M. A., Ashraf, U., & Aleem, R. (2021). GIS Based Mapping and Spatial Distribution of Tuberculosis in Punjab, Pakistan. Epidemiol Sci, 11(402), 2.

Khuda, K. E. (2020). Air pollution in the capital city of Bangladesh: its causes and impacts on human health. Pollution, 6(4), 737-750.

Koo, J. H., Kim, J., Lee, Y. G., Park, S. S., Lee, S., Chong, H., ... & Lee, T. (2020). The implication of the air quality pattern in South Korea after the COVID-19 outbreak. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-11.

Kotnala, G., Mandal, T. K., Sharma, S. K., & Kotnala, R. K. (2020). Emergence of blue sky over Delhi due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown implications. Aerosol Science and Engineering, 4(3), 228-238.

Kumar, P., Hama, S., Omidvarborna, H., Sharma, A., Sahani, J., Abhijith, K. V., ... & Tiwari, A. (2020). Temporary reduction in fine particulate matter due to ‘anthropogenic emissions switch-off’during COVID-19 lockdown in Indian cities. Sustainable cities and society, 62, 102382.

Kumari, P., & Toshniwal, D. (2020). Impact of lockdown on air quality over major cities across the globe during COVID-19 pandemic. Urban climate, 34, 100719.

Mitra, A., Ray Chadhuri, T., Mitra, A., Pramanick, P., & Zaman, S. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 related shutdown on atmospheric carbon dioxide level in the city of Kolkata. Parana Journal of Science and Education, 6(3), 84-92.

Nasir, M., Rehman, F. U., Kishwar, S., Bashir, S., & Adil, M. (2021). Air pollution and child health: the impact of brick kiln pollution on children's cognitive abilities and physical health in Pakistan. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(9), 13590-13606.

Oji, S., & Adamu, H. (2021). Air Pollution Exposure Mapping by GIS in Kano Metropolitan Area. Pollution, 7(1), 101-112.

Otmani, A., Benchrif, A., Tahri, M., Bounakhla, M., El Bouch, M., & Krombi, M. H. (2020). Impact of Covid-19 lockdown on PM10, SO2 and NO2 concentrations in Salé City (Morocco). Science of the total environment, 735, 139541.

Panda, S., Mallik, C., Nath, J., Das, T., & Ramasamy, B. (2021). A study on variation of atmospheric pollutants over Bhubaneswar during imposition of nationwide lockdown in India for the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 14(1), 97-108.

Pervaiz S, Mughal TA, Khan FZ. Pervaiz, S., Mughal, T. A., & Khan, F. Z. (2016). Green fashion colours: A potential value for Punjab leather industry to promote sustainable development. Pakistan Journal of Contemporary Sciences, 1(1), 28-36.

Pervaiz, S., Shirazi, A. S., Khan, F. Z., Javid, K., & Aziz, M. T. (2018). Tree census of urban green space with special reference to Gora cemetery of Lahore, Pakistan. International Journal of Biosciences, 13(1), 431-439.

Pervaiz, S., Javid, K., Khan, F. Z., Talib, B., Siddiqui, R., Ranjha, M. M., & Akram, M. A. N. (2019). Spatial analysis of vegetation cover in urban green space under new government agenda of clean and green Pakistan to tackle climate change. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 20(4).

Pervaiz, S., Javid, K., Khan, F. Z., Zahid, Y., & Akram, M. A. N. (2020). Preliminary assessment of air during COVID-19 lockdown: An unintended benefit to environment. Environment and Natural Resources Journal, 18(4), 363-375.

PBS. Punjab Brick Kiln Census. Labor and Human Resource Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore [Internet]. 2016. [cited 2020 June 10]. Available from: http://dashboards.urbanunit.gov.pk/brick_kiln_dashboard/.

Radzka, E. (2020). The effect of meteorological conditions on air pollution in Siedlce. Journal of Ecological Engineering, 21(1), 97-104.

Raispour, K., & Khosravi, Y. (2020). Spatiotemporal Analysis of Carbon Monoxide Observed by Terra/MOPITT in the Troposphere of Iran. Pollution, 6(4), 759-771.

Ramasamy, D. (2020). Enchanted improvements in air quality across India-A study from COVID-19 lockdown perspective. Adalya Journal, 9(5).

Saeed, U., Sherdil, K., Ashraf, U., Younas, I., Butt, H. J., & Ahmad, S. R. (2021). Identification of potential lockdown areas during COVID-19 transmission in Punjab, Pakistan. Public health, 190, 42-51.

Saikia, J., Narzary, B., Roy, S., Bordoloi, M., Saikia, P., & Saikia, B. K. (2016). Nanominerals, fullerene aggregates, and hazardous elements in coal and coal combustion-generated aerosols: An environmental and toxicological assessment. Chemosphere, 164, 84-91.

Samani, P., García-Velásquez, C., Fleury, P., & van der Meer, Y. (2021). The Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on climate change and air quality: four country case studies. Global Sustainability, 4.

Samie, A., Deng, X., Jia, S., & Chen, D. (2017). Scenario-based simulation on dynamics of land-use-land-cover change in Punjab Province, Pakistan. Sustainability, 9(8), 1285.

Sathe, Y., Gupta, P., Bawase, M., Lamsal, L., Patadia, F., & Thipse, S. (2021). Surface and satellite observations of air pollution in India during COVID-19 lockdown: Implication to air quality. Sustainable cities and society, 66, 102688.

Saxena, S., Rabha, A., Tahlani, P., & Ray, S. S. (2021). Crop situation in India, before, during and after COVID-19 lockdown, as seen from the satellite data of resourcesat-2 AWiFS. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 49(2), 365-376.

Saqib, M., Sieberg, A., Hussain, M. H., Mansoor, M. K., Zohaib, A., Lattwein, E., ... & Corman, V. M. (2017). Serologic evidence for MERS-CoV infection in dromedary camels, Punjab, Pakistan, 2012–2015. Emerging infectious diseases, 23(3), 550.

Sterpetti, A. V. (2020). Lessons learned during the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 230(6), 1092.

Shi, X., & Brasseur, G. P. (2020). The response in air quality to the reduction of Chinese economic activities during the COVID‐19 outbreak. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(11), e2020GL088070.

Soni, P. (2021). Effects of COVID-19 lockdown phases in India: an atmospheric perspective. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 23(8), 12044-12055.

Soto, E. H., Botero, C. M., Milanés, C. B., Rodríguez-Santiago, A., Palacios-Moreno, M., Díaz-Ferguson, E., ... & Souza Filho, J. R. (2021). How does the beach ecosystem change without tourists during COVID-19 lockdown?. Biological Conservation, 255, 108972.

The Punjab Clean Air Action Plan. Environment Protection Department [Internet]. 2017. [cited 2022 February]. Available from:

https://epd.punjab.gov.pk/system/files/Annex%20D2%20Punjab%20Clean%20Air%20Action%20Plan_0.pdf

Xin, Y., Shao, S., Wang, Z., Xu, Z., & Li, H. (2021). COVID-2019 lockdown in Beijing: A rare opportunity to analyze the contribution rate of road traffic to air pollutants. Sustainable Cities and Society, 75, 102989.

Yasin, M. W., Khan, M. R., & Amin, M. (2018). Impacts of Spatio-Temporal Changes in Rainfall and Temperature on Different Crops in Selected Districts of Punjab, Pakistan. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 34(2).

Yasmeen, S., & Sohail, H. (2020). Economics of COVID-19: A case of Punjab, Pakistan. Empirical Economic Review, 3(2), 10-30.

Yousefi, R., Wang, F., Ge, Q., & Shaheen, A. (2020). Long-term aerosol optical depth trend over Iran and identification of dominant aerosol types. Science of the Total Environment, 722, 137906.

Zheng, S., Fu, Y., Sun, Y., Zhang, C., Wang, Y., & Lichtfouse, E. (2021). High resolution mapping of nighttime light and air pollutants during the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan. Environmental chemistry letters, 19(4), 3477-3485.