In parts of punjab state, northern India, people are excited to post photos of the Himalaya Mountains about 200km away after the air is clearer.
About 1.4 billion people in India are in a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Factories were closed, vehicles stopped operating on the streets.
Former Indian cricket player Harbhajan Singh posted on social media Twitter a photo of the Dhauladhar mountain range, part of Himalaya, from his private home ground in Jalandhar.
"You can never imagine this as possible. The clear indicator shows the impact of pollution we have caused on Mother Earth" - he wrote.
Another resident shared: "This is the Himalaya's Dhauladhar Mountains, seen from Jalandhar (Punjab) after 30 years when pollution has dropped to its lowest level. The distance here is about 200km".
India's central pollution control Commission said in a report that the blockade has led to a significant improvement in air quality in the country.
The India Today data intelligence unit found that the air quality index improved by an average of 33% in India over the period from 16-27 March, SBS Hindi reported.
India often exceeds the safe limit on air quality set by the World Health Organization (WHO) by about 5 times. It is estimated that according to the WHO, in India, about 1.5 million people died from the effects of air pollution in 2012.
The World Health Organization has recorded 149 deaths from COVID-19 in India and more than 5,000 cases.
Last month, satellite images showed pollution decreasing in some European and American cities after COVID-19 curbs took effect.
