Assessment of Covid-19 Lockdown Restrictions on the Particulate Matter Concentrations in Bengaluru

This study is an assessment of particulate matter concentration levels in the city of Bengaluru in three distinct periods: the period before the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were placed, the period during the lockdown, and the period after lockdown restrictions were lifted. These periods are further classified into different phases. The hourly concentration levels of particulate matter 2.5 and 10 have been collected for the defined time periods from the Central Pollution Control Board of India and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. These data sets have been evaluated using various statistical methods to determine the pre-existing trends, the changes that occurred during the lockdown period, and the changes that occurred after the removal of lockdown restrictions. The results showed that the implementation of the lockdown caused the concentration levels of both PM2.5 and PM10 to drop significantly. It was also observed that the concentration levels of the particulates notably rose as the lockdown restrictions were lifted. The rise in the post-lockdown period is observed to be greater than the fall during the lockdown period. These findings suggest that although the lockdown restrictions had a positive impact on particulate matter concentrations, the months after their removal showed a significant increase in concentration levels.