Effects on Air Quality in Dhaka City Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Induced Nationwide Lockdown

This paper deals with air pollution levels in Dhaka from 2019 to 2021, showing different air pollutant levels before and during the lockdown. The government of Bangladesh was compelled to impose a lockdown because of the global COVID-19 epidemic. This lockdown included limiting people’s mobility, shutting down businesses and motor vehicles, and closing public spaces, schools, and marketplaces to control the virus. Selected air contaminants’ trends have been determined by Mann-Kendall analysis. It was discovered that during the lockdowns triggered by COVID-19 in the city of Dhaka, the levels of the pollutants in the air drastically altered. PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 levels decreased by approximately 40.1 µg/m3, 125.58 µg/m3, and 75.98 µg/m3, respectively. On the contrary, the O3 level increased by approximately 18.97 µg/m3 throughout the same period. An inference was made that significant air pollution mitigation is possible through technological intervention, strict regulation, and behavioral changes in people.