Uganda's air quality getting worse

You care so much about the quality of water you drink — it must be clean and safe. 

But have you taken time to think about the quality of air you breathe every day and how it could reduce your lifespan? 

Dr Boaz Tumuhirwe of Gifted Hands Clinics says clean air is essential for maintaining healthy humans, animals and plants. Polluted air causes respiratory diseases, strokes and cancers. 

It also damages crops and animals, leading to low yields and food scarcity. 
On a sad note, the latest report from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) indicates a worrying trend in our air quality. 

Millions of people are inhaling dangerous fumes, putting their lives at risk. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution kills seven million people every year — 4.2 million from outdoor air pollution and 3.8 million from indoor air pollution — caused by burning wood and charcoal. 

NEMA’s report warns that Uganda’s average concentrations are far above WHO’s safe levels for Particulate Matter (PM). PM is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air. 

It is a key indicator of air pollution and a significant health concern. While presenting a report titled State of the Environment recently at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi in Mpigi district, Francis Ogwal, the senior manager of environment planning and co-ordination at NEMA pointed out that WHO recommends the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 should not exceed 5 μg/m3 and 15 μg/m3, respectively. 

However, Uganda’s PM levels in both cases are very high. The year 2023 had the highest average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations compared to 2022. 

To put it into perspective, in 2022, Rubaga division in Kampala and Mityana district had the highest PM10 at close to 60. They were followed by Kawempe and Makindye divisions at 48, Mbarara at 45 and Kabale at 42. 

The lowest were Gulu at 25 and Soroti at 30. In 2023, Iganga district topped the list with about 62, followed by Mityana and Kasese districts at 60. 

Kawempe and Rubaga divisions of Kampala, along with Kabale district, followed with 55. 

The lowest were Masaka, Njeru and Soroti at about 25. Referring to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2023 report, Ogwal said the country’s GDP grew by 5.3% in 2023, up from 4.7% in 2022. 

However, while economic growth boosts industrialisation, it also drives deforestation, habitat destruction and pollution. 

Industrial activities release pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which cause respiratory illnesses and ecosystem degradation. Poor waste disposal, coupled with dusty roads and dangerous fumes from motorcycles and old vehicles, worsens the situation. 

Uganda has approximately 2.7 million registered cars, trucks and motorcycles, but many of these vehicles are over 15 years old, contributing significantly to air pollution. 

Fortunately, the Government moved to prohibit the importation of vehicles older than 15 years, although many inefficient vehicles are still on the roads. 

Regarding motorcycles, Ogwal says bodabodas are a menace to human health. 

While precise figures are difficult to obtain due to the informal nature of the industry, estimates suggest there are about 1.2 million motorcycles in Uganda, many of which are used as bodabodas. 

Kampala alone has an estimated 350,000 bodabodas. In 2021, the World Air Quality Report ranked Kampala among the most polluted cities globally. 

It was in the 28th position on the list of countries with the worst air quality.

Silent killer

While addressing journalists during the 2024 Air Quality Awareness Week, NEMA executive director Dr Akankwasah Barirega called air pollution a silent killer. 

He warned that compromised air quality increases the disease burden, with close to 31,600 Ugandans dying from air pollution-related diseases annually, especially in urban areas, starting with Kampala. 

NEMA is taking steps to monitor air quality and raise awareness. Efforts include establishing over 150 low-cost monitoring stations to close the gap in air quality monitoring across Africa.