Cleaner water and the return of marine life in Venice, restoration of ecological balance, improvement in air quality, reduced water and noise pollution and news of other environmental progress and restoration were hot topics discussed across the globe in 2020.
After Covid ’19, nature had taken control, nature was having it’s revenge. With commercial human activities at a stand-still, the environment responded in a way that woke people up from their slumber and made them understand the importance of protecting the environment and being one with nature.
Awareness and understanding however, does not always translate in to long term behavioural changes, especially in a world that keeps its machines running no matter what. Big changes on the part of the individual and industries and governments were expected as a result of the awakening the pandemic had presented to the world but the negative impacts of Covid outweigh the short-lived environmental awareness.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, medical waste generation is increased globally, which is a major threat to public health and environment. Sample collection of the suspected COVID-19 patients, diagnosis, treatment of huge number of patients, and disinfection generate mammoth biomedical wastes. In the city of Ahmedabad of India, for example, the amount of medical waste generation is increased from 550-600 kg/day to around 1000 kg/day at the time of the first phase of lockdown. Face mask, hand gloves and other safety equipments are the potential source of microplastic fibres in the environment.
Increase of municipal waste (both organic and inorganic) generation has direct and indirect effects on environment like air, water and soil pollution. Due to the pandemic, quarantine policies established in many countries have led to an increase in the demand of online shopping for home delivery, which ultimately increase the amount of household wastes from shipped package materials. Many countries postponed the waste recycling activities to reduce the transmission of viral infection. For instance, USA restricted recycling programs in many cities (nearly 46%), as government worried about the risk of COVID-19 spreading in recycling facilities and some countries prohibited infected persons from segregating their household waste. Overall, due to disruption of routine municipal waste management, waste recovery and recycling activities, there was an increase in land filling and environmental pollutants worldwide.
Huge amounts of disinfectants are applied into roads, commercial, and residential areas to exterminate SARS-CoV-2 virus. Such extensive use of disinfectants may kill non-targeted beneficial species, which may create ecological imbalance. These disinfectants can and do contaminate surface runoff water and ultimately pollute water bodies in that area.
While there was a lot oftalk and frenzy about the ways in which the environment seemed to be improving, the world is now facing difficulties in medical waste management and the restoration of ecological balance due to increased sanitary products and disinfectants being used. The post lockdown, post Covid era was spoken of as one where there would be increased awareness, a heightened sense of responsibility towards nature and the environment we live in, changes and ideas towards a more sustainable world where humans could be in harmony with nature. With the availability of the vaccine and the fortunate decline in the severity of the pandemic, the world has forgotten of the more important learnings over the last few months and has swiftly reverted to mass production, improper waste disposal and pollution. With the only objective being to restore normalcy in the workspace or in everyday lives, fixing the environment doesn’t take priority for most.
Streets are as crowded as ever, electricity and water are still being wasted, industries continue to dump untreated waste in water bodies. Environmental hazards posed by Covid are simply added to the long list of previously existing issues and stored away for another generation to handle as the commercial, industrial world continues to churn and use up resources like they would never run out. The new normal that was spoken of as an ideal world seems no different from the one we have already been living in.
– Ms Tejaswini
