Snow-Clad Gangotri Mountains Visible from Saharanpur as AQI Plummets

Coronavirus pandemic has been a blessing in disguise in some respects. Human activities have been curbed, Earth has got some time to heal itself, and is revealing the possibilities of life sans everything bad we’ve done to the environment in this century. The air pollution levels have dropped considerably, visible water pollution is better than before and wild animals are breathing a sigh of relief as humans are in self-imposed lockdown.

Last month Jalandhar residents were awed by the sight of mighty Dhauladhar range after almost a generation. And then there was the delightful news of Yamuna river doing away with the frothy pollution. Another heartwarming news has caught the attention of people. For the first time in almost three decades, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh residents got to see the snow-capped Gangotri peaks.

Not surprisingly, many took to Twitter to share their delight, and people are obliged. According to Ramesh Pandey, Indian Forest Service officer and secretary of UP State Biodiversity Board, who tweeted the images (originally clicked by Dushyant, an Income Tax Inspector), the improved Air Quality Index due to coronavirus lockdown and intermittent rains made this possible.

Snow capped peaks of Himalaya are now visible from Saharnpur !
Lockdown and intermittent rains have significantly improved the AQI. These pictures were taken by Dushyant, an Income Tax inspector, from his house at Vasant Vihar colony on Monday evening. #lockdowneffect #nature pic.twitter.com/1vFfJqr05J

— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) April 29, 2020

The AQI dropped to below 50 from a grim 300 at its peak earlier in the small town, which now has cleaner air to make it possible to spot the peaks which are almost 200 km away.

The mountains that were visible were peaks of Bandarpunch and Gangotri in the inner Himalayas. I shared the photos because I have never witnessed such a sight in Saharanpur and I was posted there for a long time.

Ramesh Pandey told Times of India.

Also, V.K. Jain, forest conservator, Saharanpur division confirmed that these are the same mountains that can be seen from Mussorie.

It’s only adversity that exposes a chink in the armor at times but also reveals elements that are a blessing for introspection. COVID-19 is a glimpse of what climate change and tampering with god’s code can do indirectly to our ecosystem.

It’s time we put more thought on how bizarrely we humans are living on the planet, pushing it towards unknown boundaries.

In the meanwhile let’s enjoy the little hope that this pandemic has given us all.

Update:

The city of Saharanpur again witnessed the beautiful Himalayan mountains (Yamnotri and Gangotri hills) on Sunday after a spell of rain and thunderstorms cleared the air. The photographs were captured by Dr. Vivek Banerjee, a pediatrician in the city of Saharanpur. Indian Forest Services officer Ramesh Pandey shared these photographs on Twitter and they went viral instantly.

Snow clad mountains of Himalaya got visible again in Saharanpur today. The city had a clearer sky after severe thunderstorm and heavy rains. Dr Vivek Banerjee, a paediatrician in the city captured and shared these beautiful moments this afternoon. #lockdowneffect @IshitaBhatiaTOI pic.twitter.com/YnZaCiXtSK

— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) May 10, 2020