‘Never Could Imagine This Was Possible’: The Himalayas Are Visible 125 Miles Away In Parts Of India For The First Time In 30 Years
People living in some parts of India are seeing the Himalaya mountains crystal clear for the first time in decades. This happened after the coronavirus quarantine reduced the amount of pollution in the country and helped the air clear up a bit.
Locals in the Jalandhar district in Punjab in Northern India, around 125 miles (just over 200 kilometers) from the mountains, are enjoying the majestic view. One of the people celebrating the unspoiled view is Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh, with other Twitter users chiming in how pollution is a serious problem in India. Scroll down for Bored Panda’s interview with Harbhajan.
One person even said that this was the first time they could clearly see the Himalayas in nearly 30 years.
Cricket player Harbhajan Singh was overjoyed that the drop in pollution made it possible to see the Himalayas from his home
Image credits: harbhajan_singh
Harbhajan told Bored Panda that “It’s unbelievable to see the mountains from my home town.” He said that it’s beyond his imagination that a thing like this would happen.
He pointed out that the air quality near his home has “obviously improved a lot” and that’s the reason why people can see the mountains that they could “never” see before.
Harbhajan told us that he’s staying at home with the family and keeping busy. “I’m learning to cook which is something very new to me. Doing yoga with my wife and playing with my daughter. Watching movies, Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon prime.” He added that he’s praying for everyone’s wellbeing.
Image credits: gauravbhanu89
This is the part of India where people have reported finally being able to see the Himalayas due to a drop in air pollution
Image credits: gull_1985
Image credits: Manu_Mehta_ind
One woman said that this is the first time in nearly 30 years that she could clearly see the Himalayas from her home
Image credits: KangManjit
Image credits: kash_education
India is currently under a 21-day lockdown in order to slow down and stop the spread of the coronavirus. With fewer people out on the streets and fewer businesses open, pollution levels in parts of the country have dropped and there is less smog.
“To save India, to save its every citizen, you, your family, every street, every neighborhood is being put under lockdown,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 24. India currently has over 5k confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 149 people have died due to the illness.
Others living in Northern India also shared photos of the mountain range taken from their homes
Image credits: susantananda3
Image credits: dhruv158cap
Image credits: Rajesh18Gandhi
Image credits: manaman_chhina
Image credits: covsinghtj
Image credits: abbu_pandit
Image credits: yahoo_mehra
Image credits: RohitWadhwa52
Image credits: amitsharma_110
Image credits: jssandhu86
Image credits: ABfile7
India’s Central Pollution Control Board has confirmed that the coronavirus lockdown has lead to an improvement in air quality. While the India Today Intelligence Unity noticed a 33 percent improvement in air quality between March 16 and 27.
The country has a population of more than 1.3 billion and the World Health Organisation states that around 1.5 million of them died from air pollution in 2012. This is because India exceeds the safe limits of air quality established by the WHO by five times.
The Covid-19 quarantine has had an effect on pollution not just in India but also around the globe. Satellite images have shown a drop in air pollution in some European and US cities after people were told to stay home and non-essential businesses were told to close.
Here’s how some people reacted to the photos
Image credits: Evelyn_Kilday
Image credits: iampauldevine
Image credits: pranab_jha
Image credits: Rajnish_Sood_
Image credits: bhotna
Image credits: JohnPau24580307
This almost made me cry. The sky is bluer. breeze is cooler. so many birds have returned. i can see more than 6 different species right next my window in the garden (not counting the crows and sparrows). squirrels are running up and down the trees. it's beautiful. part of me is thankful people r indoors! (I'm from Kolkata, India as well)
India is one of the most polluted countries in the world - one of the only good things coming out of this coronavirus pandemic is the amount of pollution that has been reduced and animals returning to their home territories.
Well said. "One of the only good things". Because sadly a lot of people will lose them jobs and poverty will grow with the bad conditions to kids that it means.. and deads... simplifying, you know
Load More Replies...
According to the old saying "sometimes what is bad for the bears, is good for the salmons".
I find all the "humans are the virus" type comments funny/annoying. Unless we have some very smart cats on here (and I'm not saying there aren't any!) We are all part of the problem. How am I doing my part? I walk to work, my husband cycles, we recycle, buy products with no packaging, compost, grow our own veggies, don't use single use plastic etc. So you do your part, i'll do my part, and if we all do what we can, maybe we will get through this ok.
Amazing the things that pollution can obscure. I lived in Los Angeles in the 1970s and remember traveling out of the area and up into the mountains—-and getting above the smog line. (Though having some “Before” pictures would’ve helped provide some contrast here.)
The planets healing from all the mess humans have done. Its just what it needed. Maybe humans will find a better way to live healthier and with better air quality. It would be also better if people spent some time cleaning up the beaches and garbage around to make the world a better place. Hopefully humans will learn from this event. . . though I have little hope for that
I live near the frontline range of the Rocky Mountains and if those pictures are from 200 miles away, then I am right with you.
Load More Replies...
I think the people of India will be making some monumental changes in the near future.
Once the virus is over and life goes back to normal people will go back to not caring. sad but true.
We should be doing a lockdown every year world wide to prolong life on earth
And the people stayed home. They read books and made art They wrote poems and reflections And rested and played games and exercised They learned new ways of being And were still, and listened more deeply. Some planted and tended and harvested. Some meditated, some prayed, Some danced and some sang. Some discovered their light Others met their shadows. And the people began to See and hear To feel and think Differently. And the people healed. And in the absence of people Living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless and heartless ways, The earth began to heal. And when the danger passed And the people found each other again, Under bluer skies, amidst greener grasses They grieved their losses and made new choices and dreamed new images And created new ways to heal the earth more fully, As they had been healed
it's wonderful, its like nature is fixing things man has messed up. it's very cool!
It's just sad that once things are safe again and people can start going back to normal, it won't take long before people are no longer able to see the mountains again. Humans won't learn. We never do. Pollution will come back, animals will be chased away again, and we'll be back to destroying earth for our own personal gain.
So during all these years Bollywood filmmakers have been sending their crew and cast around the world to shoot the dancing scenes in front of picturesque mountain-landscapes when in fact... ? Yeah, typical human s**t.
That's sad. Those are beautiful - I can't imagine living with that much pollution all the time! We are actually pretty fortunate in the US.
Please somebody kill half of the population of the world, so I can finally be happy.
Yep I am waiting for the "you shouldn't be able to see them from that distance comments"
Load More Replies...
Actually no, they are not blaming the whole community, just the people in the congregation. There is a difference. A lot of Muslims are blaming them as well. They are mocking the Hindu congregations as well. They are blaming any large assembly.
Load More Replies... This almost made me cry. The sky is bluer. breeze is cooler. so many birds have returned. i can see more than 6 different species right next my window in the garden (not counting the crows and sparrows). squirrels are running up and down the trees. it's beautiful. part of me is thankful people r indoors! (I'm from Kolkata, India as well)
India is one of the most polluted countries in the world - one of the only good things coming out of this coronavirus pandemic is the amount of pollution that has been reduced and animals returning to their home territories.
Well said. "One of the only good things". Because sadly a lot of people will lose them jobs and poverty will grow with the bad conditions to kids that it means.. and deads... simplifying, you know
Load More Replies... According to the old saying "sometimes what is bad for the bears, is good for the salmons".
I find all the "humans are the virus" type comments funny/annoying. Unless we have some very smart cats on here (and I'm not saying there aren't any!) We are all part of the problem. How am I doing my part? I walk to work, my husband cycles, we recycle, buy products with no packaging, compost, grow our own veggies, don't use single use plastic etc. So you do your part, i'll do my part, and if we all do what we can, maybe we will get through this ok.
Amazing the things that pollution can obscure. I lived in Los Angeles in the 1970s and remember traveling out of the area and up into the mountains—-and getting above the smog line. (Though having some “Before” pictures would’ve helped provide some contrast here.)
The planets healing from all the mess humans have done. Its just what it needed. Maybe humans will find a better way to live healthier and with better air quality. It would be also better if people spent some time cleaning up the beaches and garbage around to make the world a better place. Hopefully humans will learn from this event. . . though I have little hope for that
I live near the frontline range of the Rocky Mountains and if those pictures are from 200 miles away, then I am right with you.
Load More Replies... I think the people of India will be making some monumental changes in the near future.
Once the virus is over and life goes back to normal people will go back to not caring. sad but true.
We should be doing a lockdown every year world wide to prolong life on earth
And the people stayed home. They read books and made art They wrote poems and reflections And rested and played games and exercised They learned new ways of being And were still, and listened more deeply. Some planted and tended and harvested. Some meditated, some prayed, Some danced and some sang. Some discovered their light Others met their shadows. And the people began to See and hear To feel and think Differently. And the people healed. And in the absence of people Living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless and heartless ways, The earth began to heal. And when the danger passed And the people found each other again, Under bluer skies, amidst greener grasses They grieved their losses and made new choices and dreamed new images And created new ways to heal the earth more fully, As they had been healed
it's wonderful, its like nature is fixing things man has messed up. it's very cool!
It's just sad that once things are safe again and people can start going back to normal, it won't take long before people are no longer able to see the mountains again. Humans won't learn. We never do. Pollution will come back, animals will be chased away again, and we'll be back to destroying earth for our own personal gain.
So during all these years Bollywood filmmakers have been sending their crew and cast around the world to shoot the dancing scenes in front of picturesque mountain-landscapes when in fact... ? Yeah, typical human s**t.
That's sad. Those are beautiful - I can't imagine living with that much pollution all the time! We are actually pretty fortunate in the US.
Please somebody kill half of the population of the world, so I can finally be happy.
Yep I am waiting for the "you shouldn't be able to see them from that distance comments"
Load More Replies... Actually no, they are not blaming the whole community, just the people in the congregation. There is a difference. A lot of Muslims are blaming them as well. They are mocking the Hindu congregations as well. They are blaming any large assembly.
Load More Replies...
261
51