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Journalism of Courage
At a time when Italy has been under lockdown due to a rising number of coronavirus cases, which crossed 31,000 on Wednesday, the tourist hotspot of Venice is seeing a positive side effect amid the restrictions.
Since the lockdown was imposed last week, many people have taken to social media to share pictures of the city canals being filled with cleaner water and fishes swimming around. “Here’s an unexpected side effect of the pandemic – the water’s flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever. The fish are visible, the swans returned,” tweeted a user @ikaveri while sharing several pictures.
https://twitter.com/ikaveri/status/1239660248207589383
https://twitter.com/duppli/status/1239491423243821058
The post drew several comments from netizens, with many pointing out that it was not just the swans but also the dolphins were back. “Even the dolphins are back at the shore in some parts of Italy because ferries and other boats no longer disturb them,” tweeted a user while sharing a clip.
https://twitter.com/dergigi/status/1239836601603284994
The Venice mayor’s office said the change was not due to improved water quality but because of less traffic on the canals. “The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom,” a spokesman told CNN.
The lockdown has also contributed to a noticeable drop in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. “The air, however, is less polluted since there is less boat traffic than usual because of the restricted movement of residents,” the spokesperson said.
