By Tuqa Khalid

DUBAI -- Social media users circulated on Friday pictures allegedly showing the towers of Bahraini capital Manama viewed from Al-Khobar’s corniche in Saudi Arabia, with many saying that was due to the reduction in air pollution amid the coronavirus lockdowns. However, the original photographer sent out a tweet saying the photo is old and was taken in 2019 on a day when humidity was low resulting in a clear view of the Manama skyline.

One Twitter user with the handle “@Abdull_Alorini” posted a picture of the corniche, with Bahrain’s skyline visible in the distance, across the waters of the Arabian Gulf.

He commented: “After the reduction in pollution in the world these days.. You can see Bahrain from Al-Khobar’s corniche.”

Another user with the handle “waleedalomair1” shared more pictures of the corniche, saying Bahrain’s landmarks were seen from Al-Khobar corniche because of the cleanliness of the environment due to reduced amounts of car exhaust and factories not operating.

Al-Khobar is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia on the coast of the Arabian Gulf. It hosts King Fahd Causeway, a 25-km-long bridge connecting Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. It was opened in 1986.

The bridge’s Saudi end is located south of Al-Khobar, while the Bahraini end is located west of Manama.

Pollution reduction amid coronavirus

With billions of people under lockdowns, curfews, or some sort of movement restriction, and the suspension of the operations of some factories and manufacturing plants as part of the global efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the world has witnessed a significant drop in carbon emissions.

The reduced road transport decreased the emissions of nitrogen oxides and the suspension or reduction of operations at factories lessened other gas emissions.

Dozens of countries around the world reported significantly reduced levels of air pollution, especially in European countries such as Spain and Italy.

For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) showed that average nitrogen dioxide levels decreased by 56 percent week-on-week after Spain’s government banned non-essential travel on March 14.

China, which imposed strict restrictions on the movement of almost half a billion people, also witnessed a significant drop in air pollution.

In India, one of the most polluted countries in the world with many cities enveloped in thick smog, people noticed a remarkable drop in pollution and significant improvement in the air’s quality during the past months. -- Al Arabiya English