Himalayan Mountains Visible 125 Miles Away for First Time in 30 Years As Pollution Drops During Virus Shutdown

Getty Images | SARAH LAI

The snowcapped Himalayan mountains, once obscured by smog, became visible in parts of northern India for the first time in decades, as pollution levels dropped sharply during the pandemic lockdown.

Residents from the northern state of Punjab reported being able to see the majestic peaks from their homes 125 miles away for the first time in 30 years.

Spectacular photographs of the Dhauladar mountain range, shared by locals, have since appeared on social media, along with reactions of disbelief and awe.

The country with a population of 1.4 billion has been under a 21-day lockdown since March 22 in order to stop the spread of the virus. As a result, factories have been closed, traffic has been cleared, and streets are empty. All of which has sharply reduced pollution levels across the country. Air quality started showing significant improvements from day one, since the nationwide curfew was implemented, according to India’s Central Pollution Control Board.

Meanwhile, locals were treated with a memorizing mountainous panorama, and they have been sharing spectacular photos on social media.

“We can see the snow-covered mountains clearly from our roofs,” said Balbir Singh Seechewal, SBS Hindi reported. “And not just that, stars are visible at night. I have never seen anything like this in recent times.”

Seechewal, who has been an advocate for the environment for 30 years, says that this sight should be a wakeup call.

“I had never imagined I would experience such a clean world around me,” he said. “The unimaginable has happened. It shows nothing is impossible. We must work together to keep it like that.”

Others also took to Twitter to express their admiration at the scenery. Former Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh shared a view from the roof of his house along with a caption that read:

“Never seen Dhauladar range from my home rooftop in Jalandhar..never could imagine that’s possible..clear indication of the impact the pollution has done by us to Mother Earth?.. this is the view”

To which Abbu Pandit responded with a similarly stunning view:

“The same mountains from my home ? #Nozoom”

Another local shared a photo from Sialkot showing the Kashmir mountains. “This kind of clear we are seeing after around more than 30 years,” the caption read.

Meanwhile, some on Twitter aired concerns for the environment. “What nature really is and how we screwed it up,” wrote Soul of a Warrior. “This is Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal, visible after 30 yrs, from Jalandhar (Punjab) after pollution drops to its lowest level.”

During most times of the year, India’s pollution levels are typically five times higher than what has been deemed the safe limit by the World Health Organization.

The first two days of the shutdown, March 22–23, Delhi alone saw an overall reduction of 44 percent in pollution levels compared to the previous day. Meanwhile, the country as a whole has seen an air quality improvement of 33 percent between March 16 and 27, according to the India Today Data Intelligence Unit.

Other parts of the world have seen a similar reduction in pollution since the shutdown. European Union Space Agency has observed decreases in nitrogen dioxide throughout the world as a result of decreased business activities, SBS Hindi reported.