By lucky Patrick
In a bid to monitor air quality in Fort Portal Tourism City, AirQo, an air quality research initiative at Makerere University has launched an air quality monitoring network to monitor the levels of air pollution in the City.
Speaking during the launch of the monitoring network, AirQo Lead, Professor Engineer Bainomugisha noted that the air quality monitoring network will help quantify air pollution and in turn empower residents and local leaders to make informed decisions to improve air quality.
If we want to improve the air we breathe, we need to tackle #AirPollution together!
Get access to #AirQuality information from our air quality monitoring system across Uganda and take action.🔗https://t.co/96Qmpsehj1#CleanAir #BreatheClean pic.twitter.com/YoOvofeHzk
— AirQO (@AirQoProject) November 8, 2021
The Air Qo technology tweet on eliminating air Pollution
According to Prof. Bainomugisha, AirQo has installed 10 air quality monitors across Fort Portal in areas such as Bazzar, Mpanga, Rwengoma, Lorry Park, Mountain of the Moon, and Kitere among other areas in
commercial and residential buildings.
Prof Bainomugisha, said that the City will be empowered to access air quality data gathered from these monitoring networks through a dedicated platform. He added that lack of air quality data is one of
the biggest challenges facing Uganda and Africa resulting in a lack of action.
During a press conference shortly after the Launch, the Fort portal City Mayor Asaba Edison Ruyonga said that as city leaders, they are committed to improving the quality of air by putting in place mitigating action to reduce air pollution, like greening the city.
Meanwhile, Prof. Bainomugisha noted that the sensors will measure PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants. PM2.5 and PM10 are inhalable air pollutant particles that are damaging to the throat and lungs, and are caused by
smoke, fires and dust from unpaved roads, vehicular and industrial combustion activities, among others.
According to Bainomugisha, short-term exposure to air pollution can lead to health impacts like irritation of the airways, sore throats, headaches, severe impacts such as asthma and heart attacks while long-term exposure can lead to the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Air pollution is responsible for over 7 million premature deaths annually and yet many African countries still lack access to reliable air quality data to take informed actions to reduce air pollution.
According to the State of Global Air, the annual deaths and age-standardized deaths due to PM2.5 in Uganda have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, with deaths attributable to total air pollution in 2019 reaching over 27,000.
