ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the association of COVID-19 viral outbreak and its significant impact on aquatic ecosystems across the globe. Both freshwater and marine ecosystems are positively impacted as a result of the nationwide lockdown strictly imposed by the Government of India to break the viral transmission chain since late March 2020. Our studies in April 2020 show how water pollution has reduced in peri-urban wetlands with an increase in dissolved oxygen and dilution factor in comparison to 2019. Acidification of freshwater ecosystems has reduced. An increase in the number of phytoplankton and ichthyoplankton indicates that the healing of these fragile ecosystems has opened nature’s bounties with optimal utilization of resources. Moreover, aquatic biodiversity has also strikingly improved with the upgrade of the ecosystem health. The authors believe that such positive changes would definitely yield good results in realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
