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By Gabriel Okello

Air pollution is a huge threat to public health and wellbeing – and we need to do something about it.

In Uganda, air pollution alone is responsible for over 30,000 deaths every year. As the cause of a wide range of heart, lung and brain diseases, it is now a huge burden to our healthcare system. Our doctors are having to both treat and manage illnesses that could have been avoided if we breathed cleaner air. What’s more, we’re seeing the number of sick days people take from work increase, as pollution affects productivity and, in the process, damages our economy.

In Kampala particularly, the capital is subjected to 8 to 10 times more air pollution concentration (tiny pollution particles) than what is recommended by the Word Health Organisation guidelines.

The launch of the Air Quality Standards in 2024, by the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), is a much-needed and timely boost for Uganda to address air pollution.

The country can act in a number of ways, including stepping up existing initiatives. For example, accelerating electric mobility through more Kiira motor buses and the over 1,700 electric boda bodas on the roads, investing in public transport, such as the Kampala-Namanve mass transit by Uganda railways which carries over 50,000 passengers a month, and supporting the non-motorised transit Namirembe Road to Luwum street as a transport corridor.

There must also be increased investment and policy support around transitioning to clean cooking, using clean energies such as electricity, LPG, biogas and briquettes led by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. There needs to be more air quality monitors to support the already existing 130 locally made air quality monitors installed in 8 cities in Uganda by Makerere University AirQo.

Air quality standards will serve as a critical tool to protect public health in Uganda going forward, as well as promoting sustainable development.

From an environmental perspective, the standards with help to provide guidance on the local limits on harmful pollutants (such as particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide). Adhering to these limits will reduce the risk of diseases, and other health problems associated with poor air quality.

They will also contribute to the need for regulating emissions from heavy industries, vehicles and dumpsites. Providing a legal framework for enforcing compliance through monitoring, reporting, and enforcement mechanisms will ensure accountability among polluters and helps maintain consistent efforts to improve air quality over time.

Perhaps most importantly, raising public awareness around air pollution sources and its related health outcomes is key.

This will in turn empower people to advocate for policies and practices that prioritise a cleaner environment. The standards will also help to foster innovation in various sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, and waste management so that we can create more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions.

Uganda is undergoing a rapid process of urbanisation, with soaring industrial activity, growth in transportation needs and increased energy demand – all which continue to ramp up levels of air pollution if not regulated.

There is no doubt that the air quality standards, if adhered to, will improve air quality and public health, through lowering pollution-related healthcare costs and increased productivity, while protecting the environment and biodiversity.

Gabriel Okello is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, a visiting Research Fellow at Makerere University AirQo and contributed to the co-developing of the Air Quality Standards as part of the National Scientific Advisory Committee.