Impact of COVID-19 lockdown in Tamil Nadu: Benefits and challenges on environment perspective

Prior to COVID-19 lockdown in our country, the air around us was highly polluted due to emission of greenhouse gases for over centuries. Melting of glaciers and rising of the sea levels were evidenced as the alarming signs of Global warming. Environmental degradation was observed rapidly due to depletion and exploitation of natural resources like soil, water and air. But there are few changes observed in the environment after the country's lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. The effects of lockdown are also entwined with human and political effects such as uncontrollable public mobility, poor access to health care due to lack of sufficient medical facilities, unemployment, migrants' crisis, starvation and prevailing poverty. However, apart from sufferings of entire country especially the people by social, economic and psychologic effects in day-to-day life, this lockdown has given to the nature the most optimistic scenarios in environment especially with enhanced air quality, cleaner water and undisturbed pristine forest. The present review brings out the actual picture of the eco-processes that reduced man-made pollution in air and water as well as disposal of domestic or biological waste along with societal implications after imposing lockdown in the state of Tamil Nadu.