A few days before, in the first week of May, the natives of Singhwahini village in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district woke up to the sight of the world’s highest mountain, the Mount Everest. From around the same time, the majestic Himalayan mountain has also been visible from Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. Mount Everest is located on the Tibet-Nepal border in the Himalayas and is about 200 kilometres away from the valley. Thanks to the dip in the air pollution levels, the residents of the region can now witness the stunning view of the Everest after decades.
What Happened?
Due to COVID-19 lockdown, vehicular and industrial emissions have highly reduced, and this, in turn, has made the air much cleaner than before. The massive drop in the pollution levels has given way to better visibility of objects and landscapes from far-off distances. Photographer Abhushan Gautam took some breathtaking snaps of the snow-capped mountain from the Chobhar region in Nepal. The pictures were shared on social media. The posts received comments like “Let nature takeover” and “Nature always healed herself”.
The #COVID19Lockdown has cleaned the air over #Nepal and northern #India. So much so that for the first time in many years, Mt #Everest can be seen again from #Kathmandu Valley even though it is 200km away.
More breathtaking images by @AbhushanGautam: https://t.co/IqFZw39haC pic.twitter.com/ErTJa7kPJo
— Nepali Times (@NepaliTimes) May 15, 2020
In the picture below, the photographer is showing the exact mountain peak with an arrow. Though it appears to be much smaller, its visibility is what the internet is loving right now.
Also Read: Indian Mountain Ranges That Are Clearly Visible
What Else?
This is about the sixth time that a faraway mountain is visible from the urban zones. After lockdown, residents of Jalandhar city in Punjab were taken aback by the sight of the Dhauladhar range. A few days later, the Pir Panjal range was clearly visible from Kashmir’s Srinagar. People living in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh have been enjoying the view of the marvellous Gangotri range, located more than 150 km away, in Uttarakhand. Residents of Siliguri recently feasted their eyes on the rare sight of the world’s third-highest mountain peak, Kanchenjunga.
Also Read: Ganga Water In Haridwar Becomes Fit For Drinking For The First Time In Decades
These mountain views are a clear indication that mother nature has finally recovered from the numerous human-inflected scars. But will this beauty be retained in the long run after all normal activities resume? The answer remains obscure.