(3 minutes read)
Air pollution indices have never been worse around the world, particularly in Africa. At least nine out of ten people on the continent breathe polluted air, according to environmentalists.
Clean air for all African cities. This is the leitmotif of the artificial intelligence (AI) software AirQo developed by the eponymous start-up in Uganda. AirQo provide communities with accurate, hyper-local and current air quality data to drive mitigation actions. In particular, the extent and scale of air pollution across the continent, which one can access in real time via the easy-to-use analysis dashboard or mobile app.
The AirQo start-up is made up of some twenty young people supervised by the Bainomugisha academic. The team installs monitoring sensors on the roofs of buildings (schools, offices, houses) and even on the back of bodas bodas (the name given to motorcycle cabs in East Africa) to collect data on air quality, particularly in the soil. This is a digital option that tracks the diffusion of pollutants from their source to their propagation by the wind. This data is then processed and uploaded to the cloud. The experts then analyze the fine particles by category and size.
First, the smallest, such as “PM2.5”, are particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns, equivalent to 0.002 5 millimeters. Then there are the larger particles known as “PM10”, with a larger diameter. It is at this level that AirQo can assess the effects of smoke generated by tobacco, burning candles, or oil lamps, as well as cooking stoves and fuel-burning heating appliances (wood, oil, coal).
Once particle concentrations have been determined, the final step for AirQo’s analysts is to translate and insert the information obtained into the mobile application intended for the general public and government officials. The latter can thus download and consult daily information on air quality in the various districts on their smartphones or computers.
The aim is to make city dwellers aware of the risks, and at the same time to encourage the authorities to take action to avoid pollution peaks, which have an impact on both human health and biodiversity, according to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The entire device, which “resists dust and extreme heat”, is powered by solar energy, particularly in the event of a power cut.
The start-up is backed by a number of partners, including the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), US tech giant Google, whose Google AI Impact Challenge on artificial intelligence AirQo is a winner, the World Bank, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the US State Department, and of course Makere University, where AirQo was born in 2015.
Although Kampala has a record pollution level (57 μg./m3, seven times higher than international standards), it is not the only target of Ugandan researchers. Other cities, particularly in Central and West Africa, where monitoring equipment is not up to scratch, will follow. These include Cairo in Egypt, home to the industries of several multinational pharmaceutical and agri-food companies, Lagos in Nigeria, which boasts one of the highest population growth rates on the continent (21 million inhabitants), and Nairobi. In the first half of 2023, the Kenyan capital was ranked 5th by the Serbian platform Numbeo in its Top10 polluted African metropolises.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/who-warns-against-ghanas-rising-air-pollution/
https://trendsnafrica.com/uganda-to-ban-import-of-second-hand-clothing-traders-oppose-a-blanket-ban/
https://trendsnafrica.com/green-farming-becomes-popular-in-uganda/
The initiative quickly became an alternative to the energy-hungry, costly ($30,000 per piece), and faulty monitors that municipalities are equipped with. In fact, each sensor in the network deployed by AirQo is worth just $150. The long-term idea is to spread the use of this equipment, enabling governments to save money and maximize resilience measures.
