IMPACT OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN ON AIR QUALITY AND URBAN HEAT ISLANDS: A REMOTE SENSING ANALYSIS OF PM2.5, NO2, AND TEMPERATURE IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

As the •World was has faced with the COVID-19 restrictions, in actuality the pandemic has been a blessing for the urban local climate of many metropolitan cities. This study has presented the condition of Lahore through utilizing remote sensing technique. Due to less usage of vehicles and the ban on commercial activities, the UHI or Urban Heat Island effect has lessened for Lahore city. Similarly, Pearson correlation built between the air quality (NO2, PM2.5, SO2) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) are used to understand the spatial urban variability of SUHI. LST change determination with the help of satellite images Landsat 8 Operational Land Images(OLI) from the year 2018 till 2020 was observed. There is a demonstration of decrease in mean temperature 23.82 C in 2020 while this ratio is 27.92 and 31.79 in 2018 and 2019. Future urban local climate can be predicted with the help of remote sensing techniques and the decreased value of air quality may be addressed by the city management for sustainable urban development. Keywords: Urban heat islands, urban climate, land surface temperature, COVID-19, lockdown