Lockdown a bliss or vice in India: Prof PB Sharma
Each day as I rise only to count the infected Covid cases and deaths around the world. It makes me sad but also alarmed as the high and mighty have suffered more than the poor and developing countries. But that is no solace. The truth is that everyone is badly shaken as we see no near end of this deadly Pendomic crisis that has made the entire global community rush for self-inflicted isolation, even from near and dear, says eminent educationist Prof PB Sharma Vice Chancellor Amity University Gurugram.
With factories shut and businesses closed for over 40 days, the worst-hit are those whose daily bread and butter were coming from their daily hard-earned wages. They are the worst hit as they had no reserves to lean on. The Covid lockdown has badly shaken rather than destroyed the world economy.
As per some estimates India is losing approximately Rs 45000 crores daily because of lockdown and wondering what to do when the cases are rising and deaths are accumulating the world over.
With over 32.5 lacs cases and approximately 2.5 lacs death, today we stand at a crossroads. Luckily, India still counts for around 33000 cases and just over 1000 deaths as of today but that is no reprieve as cases are rising every day.
So where do we go from here?
On one hand, we find great gains due to prolonged lockdown on the health of the environment. The Quality of Air improving as good as never before during the last 20 years of 21st Century, and the Quality of Water in rivers has improved so well that it is no less than a miracle for a country like India that had the distinction of having 21 out of 30 most polluted cities in the world and rivers that were so badly destroyed as being leveled as the rivers of poison.
All this goes to demonstrate the meddling crowds of the cities, mega slumps of megacities and metros, poisonous effluent coming out of chimneys of the industries and power plants, and mad rush on the roads were the real reasons for our ill-health.
Suddenly as the reports go there is almost a 40 to 50 % drop in heart cases and a similar number in respiratory disorders that were being caused by the deadly air we were made to breathe before the Corona Virus lockdown. What more almost 750 deaths per day that were occurring due to road accidents have gone almost to zero, thanks to no or little mobility on roads and highways.
But how long this is to last?
How we plan for unlocking down of Covid lockdown and reconstruct the contours of the economy are the issues at hand.
But one thing is certain that we have learned that the ‘man is the real enemy of man’, and not the nature that has great power to heal even during the pandemic, cleaning environment and making it healthy that we could not do with our might of technology and the power of science!
I should leave it to readers to decide whether the Covid lockdown is bliss or vice.
One thing is certain that human memories are short and soon lockdown has lifted the madness of man shall once again make environmental health highly questionable unless the conscience overtakes the lust and greed that creates the disaster such as a pandemic we are witnessing now.
About the author:
Kulpati Prof. PB Sharma, Vice-Chancellor Amity University Haryana (AUH) is also the Founder Vice-Chancellor DTU and RGTU, and Past President of Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
