Indirect Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Aquatic Environments

The lockdown during the pandemic accounted for rise in water quality across the globe. Examples include the Grand Canal in Italy, river Basin in Turkey, the Ganga river (from Devprayag to Harki Paudi), improvement of the aquatic physicochemical parameters in China in the summer (2020) (67.4%) and the Klang Valley (Malaysia). All of these positive aspects are short-lived. The presence of Covid-19 spreading virus in municipal sewage and grey water has been reported in different locations around the world, it is subjected to impact directly. Simultaneously, the indirect effects include an upsurge in the generation of urban waste and an unforeseen spike in the production of PPE kits and other protective equipment will eventually found their way into different aquatic environments as wastes. The quarantine rules eventually escalated the discharge of packing materials into or near aquatic habitats as online purchasing and residential delivery flourished. Face masks and gloves are expected to be mishandled and improperly disposed of globally in amounts of 12,900 crore and 6500 crore every month in 2020, respectively. Polystyrene, polypropylene, polyester, or polyethylene make up disposable face masks. Food safety and security for people were seriously threatened by commercial fish and shrimp ingesting fragmented microplastics from face masks. Antimicrobials and steroids have all become more widely utilized during Covid-19. By way of bioaccumulation and biomagnification processes, the mixing of azithromycin, amoxicillin, and other antimicrobials in water sources through wastewater constituted a danger to the aquatic food web. Overuse of detergents and disinfectants to prevent the spread of viruses has a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems through their toxicity. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities during the lockdown placed a tremendous amount of pressure on the wild fish population.