Current Status of Air Quality Monitoring in Rwanda Combined with Satellite Analysis and the Capacity Building within the Finkerat Project

Abstract

Air pollution is a global cause of concern due to the severe environmental impacts such as acid rain, smog, damage to crops and infrastructure; and wide-ranging health impacts like eye irritation, nasal irritation or chronic respiratory illness, depending on factors like type of pollutant, its concentration and exposure duration. It is leading contributor to the global burden of diseases and deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally 4.2 million people die due to ambient (outdoor) air pollution while 3.8 million die of indoor air pollution (from cookstoves and domestic fuels). Results from our air quality monitoring stations put Rwanda among the country having air pollution levels that exceed WHO air quality especially on PM2.5 and PM10. This high level of air pollution concentration contributed to more than 5500 deaths in 2017 in Rwanda. Thus, assessing the air quality is of extreme importance to develop policy interventions and pollution control measures to safeguard the environmental and human wellbeing in a particular area. To address this, in 2019 Rwanda started it first ever air quality monitoring system with 22 Real-time, Affordable, Multi-Pollutant (RAMP) air quality monitors and one reference station to provide a complete picture of air quality in the Rwanda. Stations are installed country-wide focusing on the City of Kigali and Secondary cities in the country and measure criteria pollutants like Particulate matter, Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of nitrogen, Carbon monoxide, and secondary pollutants like Ozone. The monitoring of pollutants is carried out for 24 hours every day and is continuous along the year to have annual trend of air pollution in Rwanda. The data obtained are also used to calculate the Air Quality Index (AQI), a comprehensive and easy to interpret value, representing the air quality status and disseminated through a web-based portal(https://aq.rema.gov.rw/). To improve air quality management in Rwanda, the government of Rwanda and the government of Finland has started a partnership through FINKERAT Project. In its different capacity building programs FINKERAT has helped in integrating satellite data into Rwanda's air quality monitoring framework to address limitations in spatial coverage. This integration not only expands the geographical reach of monitoring but also enhances the granularity of information available. Satellite data, with its broad coverage and high temporal resolution, will complements ground-based measurements by providing a holistic view of air quality dynamics, especially in remote or challenging to reach areas. Through this FINKERAT project Rwanda’s air quality monitoring is building the capacity in air quality modelling that will lead to air quality forecasting. Forecasting air pollution will help in providing early warnings to communities and authorities to minimize health risks, it will also optimize resource allocation, supports evidence-based policies, and helps businesses adapt operations, fostering resilience and sustainability in the face of pollution challenges.