Quality of Kampala’s air gets worse

According to environmental experts, the quality of air in Kampala has greatly reduced due to air pollution caused by car fumes, dust and smoke from burning waste materials, among others.

Ali Musoke, a resident of Kireka, wakes up every day to fight for his life as he faces what appears to many people as an invisible enemy — unhealthy air.

Musoke is asthmatic and gets frequent attacks when the air quality is not good. He experiences difficulty in breathing and his vision blurs. In the worse cases, he passes out.

About a decade ago, he moved from Kalerwe to Kireka, hoping to improve his fortunes and to keep healthy. He did not know that he was moving to another bothersome spot when it comes to air pollution.

“I do not know where to hide because I have to earn a living,” says Musoke, a vendor at Kireka market near Kampala.

“I have to get money to send my children to school, pay my medical bills and put food on the table.”

As he moves out to fend for his family, Musoke encounters his adversity. This is air pollution caused by old cars spewing fumes, burning of waste materials including plastics, dust from unpaved roads and construction sites, according to environmental experts, including Barirega Akankwasah, the executive director of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

As the cars burn fossil fuels, such as diesel and petrol to power engines, they release poisonous gases such as particulate matter.

The burning of waste, including plastics, produces dioxins and furans, which cause cancer.

What is paticulate matter?

Particulate Matter (PM), also called particle pollution, is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using a microscope.

How small is 2.5 micrometers? Think about a single hair from your head.

The average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter — making it 30 times larger than the largest fine particle.

Harmful effects of PM

Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health challenges. Some particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter can get deep into your lungs and some may even get into your bloodstream. Of these, particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, also known as fine particles or PM2.5, pose the greatest risk to health.

Fine particles are also the main cause of reduced visibility (haze) in parts of the US, including many of our treasured national parks and wilderness areas.

Kampala's air pollution hot spots

A study conducted by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in 2018 under the Kampala Climate Change Project showed that levels of pollution are beyond the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard of 40 microgrammes in 11 out of 14 sites around Kampala.

KCCA recently carried out a survey and discovered that air in Kampala city is most polluted during the morning peak hours (between 6:00am to 9:00am) and from 3:00pm to 10:00pm.

Apart from old vehicles, burning of rubbish and dusty roads, KCCA pointed out wood and charcoal stoves as other sources of pollution. More than 90% of households in Uganda still use charcoal and firewood.

Dr Bruce Kirenga, a lung expert at Makerere University, in a 2015 study on the The State of Ambient Air Quality in Two Ugandan Cities, determined that the mean air pollution in Kampala and Jinja is 5.3 times in respect to safe levels recommended by the WHO.

While there are many pollutants in Kampala’s air, the particulate matter was the only one that was above the WHO standards.

The WHO limits for particulate matter are 25 microgrammes per cubic metre, while the estimated levels of particulate matter for Kampala and Jinja was 132 micrograms per cubic meter, according to Kirenga’s report.

As one enters the city on Masaka road, they are likely to find high concentration of waste gases around Nateete, according to Kirenga’s report.

This is likely to reduce as one continues to Lungujja and Mengo. Then as they move through Gadaffi road and Makerere Hill road, it will drop further.

Naguru and Kololo have the lowest levels of dirty emissions in Kampala.

The study also pointed out that industrial areas, commercial areas and residential areas with unpaved roads were more polluted than residential areas and office areas with paved roads.

Children in peri-urban areas most affected

Dr Bruce Kirenga, a lung expert at Makerere University, said the study sought to determine the amount of solid particles and pollutants in the atmosphere and their effect on children’s lungs and asthma. Children aged below 15 years in peri-urban areas are the most affected.

The study indicated children in rural settings had “better and less damaged lungs” than those in urban settings, who were exposed to pollutants in the air.

But children in semi-urban areas, especially in central Jinja, who were exposed to outdoor pollutants from factories and car emissions and at the same time exposed to indoor pollutants from the use of charcoal and soot from paraffin-use, had the “worst” lungs.

“These children suffered a two-pronged danger. Their outdoor is contaminated, same as their indoor,” Kirenga said.

How much greenery do we need?

The generally accepted minimum standard for public space in urban areas (defined by those achieving a minimum density of 150 inhabitants per hectare, the minimum threshold for a viable public transport system) is 45%.

This is broken down into 30% for streets and sidewalks and 15% for green space, according to UN report on Sustainable Development Goals.

However, the green spaces in Kampala and the greater Kampala have been declining over the years. This is partly a result of poor implementation of regulatory frameworks governing greenbelts (recreational parks, wetlands, trees and urban forests).

For instance, most parts of Centenary Park are covered with more concrete than the greenery.

The wetlands in Kampala, which are supposed to drain away waste water and also absorb waste gases have thinned out over the years. The few remaining patches of wetlands, such as Kinawataka, Nakivubo, Namanve, Kansanga and Kyetinda are under attack by well-connected people, according to Richard Kimbowa, the chief executive officer of Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development.

“The poor air quality in Kampala shows that institutions governing the city are not doing their work. The citizens have become powerless in demanding corrective measures,” Kimbowa said.

In some cases, the few green spaces, such as the Children’s Park in Kamwokya, are not accessible to the people they are supposed to serve, according to Moses Kityo, a resident of Kamwokya.

Kityo says cities are about people, so their interest and voices should be heard for sustainable development to thrive.

“We should have huge billboards showing the status of air in Kampala and the bigwigs should be held accountable when air quality is poor. When you lead people in darkness, you get poor air quality and poor water quality.”

Solutions

As Uganda commemorated World Health Day at the health ministry headquarters in Kampala on April 7, environmental experts called the public, as well as the Government and its partners to pay attention to the declining quality of air in Kampala.

The director for public health, Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, warned that polluted air contributes to respiratory tract infections, resulting into cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

Moses Kabangi, the commissioner of environmental health, said air quality gadgets have been installed in different parts of Kampala to detect pollution.

As part of the activities, the health ministry, in partnership with WHO and Tree Adoption Uganda, has started planting trees at health facilities in Kampala and Wakiso districts, to absorb some of the waste gases.

The government also put in place measures restricting the importation of old cars.

Also, KCCA is paving different roads within and around the city to minimise pollution. The city authorities are also discouraging the burning of waste.