By Chemtai Kirui
Nairobi, may have the cleanest and most breathable air in Africa, but a new report reveals that its air quality still poses a significant health risk. According to the 2022 World Air Quality Report, released earlier this week, Nairobi’s air is double the level of pollution deemed safe by the World Health Organization. The report highlights the impact of vehicle and industrial fumes and dust as main pollutants exposing Nairobi residents to a wide range of respiratory diseases.
On Tuesday, the Swiss firm managing the air quality monitoring site, IQAir, released the fifth report. Citizen scientists and official sources contribute real-time monitoring data to the report. The report includes data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring sensors and stations across 7,323 locations in 131 countries.
The report, which relies on air quality monitors placed in different locations around the world, shows that only seven cities in South Africa and Luanda in Angola have better air quality than Nairobi. Angola has been ranked as having the cleanest air in Africa, followed by Kenya and DR Congo.
According to the report, “Reliable and accessible air quality data in Africa remains sparse. Most African countries lack air quality monitoring data, leaving most people on the continent without the information necessary to make important health decisions.”
The report compiled data from 156 monitors in 52 African cities, where around 70 percent of the population lives. The ranking for African countries, however, could be misleading as most countries lack adequate air quality monitors, according to Swiss technology company IQAir, which produces the annual report.
“The IQAir report confirms that poor people are the most exposed to dirty air,” says Frank Hammes, Global CEO of IQAIR, adding that, “In 2022, more than half of the world’s air quality data was generated by grassroots community efforts. When citizens get involved in air quality monitoring, we see a shift in awareness and the joint effort to improve air quality, intensifies. We need governments to monitor air quality, but we cannot wait for them. Air quality monitoring by communities creates transparency and urgency. It leads to collaborative actions that improve air quality.”
According to IQAir, “Air pollution continues to be the world’s largest environmental health threat. Worldwide, poor air quality accounts for 93 billion days lived with illness and over six million deaths each year.” The report also reveals that the economic cost of air pollution is over $8 trillion dollars, surpassing 6.1 percent of the global annual GDP. “Exposure to air pollution causes and aggravates several health conditions which include, but are not limited to, asthma, cancer, lung illnesses, heart disease, and premature mortality,” states the report.
Nairobi’s air quality, like most African cities, is unhealthy, with most of the pollution coming from vehicle and industrial fumes and dust. The study looked specifically at fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which is the tiniest pollutant but also the most dangerous. Nairobi has 11.5 micrograms per cubic meter, whereas the acceptable amount of fine particulate matter according to the World Health Organization is five micrograms per cubic meter.
Despite Nairobi’s ranking, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that respiratory diseases are the top ailments affecting and killing Kenyans, with 20,613,455 cases of respiratory diseases reported by December 2021, accounting for 21.9 percent disease burden in the country.
The UN Environment Programme based in Gigiri warns that air pollution is the most important environmental health risk of our time and is responsible for one in nine deaths globally. Moreover, poor people are most exposed to dirty air, according to the IQAir report.
While Kenya’s National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has regulations for national air quality standards and for “prevention, control and abatement” of pollution, there has been little or no enforcement of these regulations in most areas.
In spite of the grim findings of the report, there are efforts being made worldwide to address air pollution. Several cities and countries have implemented policies to reduce emissions, promote cleaner energy, and encourage sustainable transportation. These measures include investing in public transportation, promoting cycling and walking, and incentivizing the use of electric vehicles. Additionally, there is a growing movement of citizen scientists and activists who are raising awareness about air pollution and advocating for change. While there is still a long way to go, these solutions demonstrate that it is possible to improve air quality and ensure a healthier future for all.
The report stresses the need for more reliable and accessible air quality data in Africa, as it remains sparse in most countries. It also recommends that citizens get involved in air quality monitoring as it creates transparency and urgency, leading to collaborative actions that improve air quality.