The Air quality in Kampala is worsening following the partial
lifting of the lockdown.
Kampala had a high concentration of tinny air particles small
enough to invade even the smallest airways, and the air quality was six times
higher than World Health Organization acceptable standards. This was attributed
to dust from unpaved roads, fumes from cars and open burning of waste.
However in May during the lockdown which was imposed to curb the
spread of COVID-19, the pollution levels dropped in Kampala, resulting in an
improvement in air quality. This was because there was a reduction in the
number of vehicles, on the busy roads in the city, as well as other pollutants
which suddenly reduced emissions, especially in the central business
district.
On Tuesday, Boney Sensi, an official from Advocates for Public
Spaces who has been at the forefront of fighting for greener spaces and creating
awareness on air quality, took us through the streets of Kampala.
Armed with a wearable, portable air quality monitor called Atmo
Tube Pro, the team went back to selected areas of the city where they had
assessed during the lockdown. They included the Old Taxi Park, Luwum Street, Nakasero
market, hardware city area, and Nasser road.
At the old taxi park, the air quality which during the lockdown had improved up
to 80 has already dropped to 46 on a scale of 100. In the area, construction is
going on, several commuter taxis are all over the place most of them leaving trails
of visible black smoke and the huge crowd of vendors and pedestrians and the
dusty streets.
//Cue in; “The air quality...
Cue out...t started before.”//
Luwumu Street which has since been turned into a non-motorized area
had the highest air quality during the lockdown with no vehicles passing and
flourishing trees and grass that has been planted. However, the situation is
now different dropping to 38.
Although the area is earmarked for non-motorized transport, it has
already been taken over by bodaboda riders and trucks. Sensi argues that the
city authorities have not sensitized people on why they put in place
non-motorized sections in the city and who is allowed to use.
//cue in; “Here it is...
Cue out...in the city.”//
Gerald Mukiibi, a city Boda Boda rider, notes that it is
inevitable to have the area free of motorists given the fact that there is no
alternative road for traders and buyers to transport their merchandise.
//cue in; “Anti kati...
cue out...emotoka ezo.”//
At Nakasero market, and hardware city, the air polluting was
sinking below 20 leading to the air quality monitor to make an alert advising
that people evacuate from the place immediately. At Nasser road, the situation
was no better with the fumes from printing chemicals choking.
However, several people in the place seem to be concerned about
the matter. Arnold Gokyalya, a city trader, says that nobody comes in the city
to worry about the air quality. “Air quality? What is that? My friend, we are
from lockdown I am here to look for money whether the air is good or not. I
have worked in this city for years and no day came by and I went to the
hospital because of air quality,” says Gokyalya.
Barbra Akwii, a health worker, is aware of the dangers of air
quality. She notes that at times she is afraid to be in Kampala because of bad
air quality. However, going to the city centre seems to be inevitable for many
who depend on their livelihood in the city.
Akwii says that people should have protective gears like the recommended
masks. She also wants the KCCA authorities to plant more trees in and around
the city suburbs in addition to the development of an organized transport
system to reduce the number of fumes generated by vehicles.
//cue in: “Planting trees...
cue out.... are passing.”//
Daniel Muhumuza Nuwabine, the KCCA spokesperson, notes that they
are trying to come up with air quality policy for the city. He, however, notes
that a few steps towards reducing pollutants in the city have been made citing
the on-going paving of several roads to reduce on dust. According to records, 70
percent of the roads in Kampala are unpaved.
Nuwabine further notes that they have told city dwellers and traders to stop
burning waste from the city among other developments including the
non-motorized transport system which he thinks that with time people will get
used to it.
Exposure to poor air quality is one of the leading causes of death globally,
greater than smoking or war.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that air pollution is
poisoning millions of children, stunting their brains and affecting their
health in more ways than was previously suspected. It is estimated that over 85
people die in Uganda every day due to causes related to air pollution.
The threat to human health comes from exposure to near-invisible
toxins that are present in polluted air as fine particles. The pollutants
penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream and cause a range of diseases,
which include narrowing blood vessels which could result in a heart attack,
chest pain, stroke, or other respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic
bronchitis, lung cancer, and pneumonia.
