The concentration of microplastics in surface water and sediments in Mandovi and Zuari estuaries in Goa declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlights the potential benefits of sustainable consumption and production patterns, a research paper has said. Microplastics are extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste, and are harmful to ocean and aquatic life. The researchers concluded that the concentration of MPs declined by two to seven times after the COVID-19 lockdown.
