Association of greenness with COVID-19 deaths: an ecological study of Indian districts

le Lundi 20 Juin 2022 à l’Ined dans la salle Sauvy de 11h30 à 12h30 en Hybride (présentiel + possibilité de connexion).

Présenté par : Ankit Sikarwar (ned) ; Discutant : Florian Bonnet (Ined)

Résumé

World has witnessed a colossal death toll due to the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). A few environmental epidemiology studies have identified association of environmental factors (air pollution, greenness, temperature, etc.) with COVID-19 incidences and mortality, particularly in developed countries. India, being one of the most severely affected countries by the pandemic, still has a dearth of research exploring the linkages of environment and COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether district-level greenness exposure reduces the risk of COVID-19 deaths in India. The study analyzed death counts from the onset of the pandemic till the peak of the second wave (1st May, 2021) in India. The study is designed to use a combination of spatial data (gridded environmental and demographic data) and non-spatial data with the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems. The study also validates its results considering various issues related to Indian context such as under-reporting of COVID-19 deaths, critical air pollution levels, higher shares of poor and rural households, and other. Besides the possible interaction between greenness exposure and COVID-19 deaths, the study will also provide insight into the importance of using up-to-date gridded demographic data in epidemiological research in the absence of census and survey data.                                     

Biographie de Ankit Sikarwar

Ankit Sikarwar is a post-doctoral research fellow at the French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), France. He did his PhD from the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai, India. He also holds M.Phil. and Master degree in population studies from IIPS, and M.Sc. in Geography from M.S. University of Baroda, India. He has interdisciplinary research interest which is based on the intersection of Geography, Population Studies, Public Health, Remote Sensing, and GIS. His PhD thesis made an attempt to study the peri-urban dynamics in 615 villages surrounding Ahmedabad City using a wide range of spatial and non-spatial data.