Abstract
Rwanda is a landlocked republic in Equatorial Africa. The capital Kigali (1°57'S, 30°04'E) can be mentioned as a typical African city due to its rising population and the rising rate of motorization. Different pollutants produced e.g. by a highusage rate of mopeds or open fireplaces burning wood for cooking and household chores could be detected. Climatological parameters as well as air pollutants were measured within the urban area. Additionally, highly frequented spatial and temporal mobile measurements of particulate matter were taken during different dry seasons regarding different conditions. These values indicated an urban heat island, which tended to rise for the last four decades. A temporary phenomenon for the air pollution indicators is visible during clear and calm weather situations, e.g. the distinctive relief caused an accumulation within small valleys called “Marais” in the night time. Unfortunately, these are the favourite places for living and agriculture. So there is no infrequence in values of PM10 > 1.000 μg·m-3. The origin of the different airborne particles was verified by using a scanning electron microscope and it could be mentioned that most particles were from the combustion of biomass and traffic.
Highlights
Kigali (1 ̊57'S, 30 ̊04'E), the capital of the Equatorial African country Rwanda, indicates, comparable to other sub-Saharan African countries, a fast growing population of at least one million inhabitants
It offers the mean PM10 concentration in dependence to the route section for all mobile measurements taken at different times of the day along the measuring route within the urban area of Kigali
These results proved the primarily conceived assumptions, that the increasing population pressure and the ongoing motorisation rate must have a significant and strong impact on the air quality of the urban canopy layer of Kigali
Summary
Kigali (1 ̊57'S, 30 ̊04'E), the capital of the Equatorial African country Rwanda, indicates, comparable to other sub-Saharan African countries, a fast growing population of at least one million inhabitants. This rising population and the coherent rising rate of motorization were a reason for a sustainable degradation of the urban air quality. The lack of space forces more and more people to settle along the slopes and on the bottom of the hills These former marsh and wetlands are the largest residential area, but there are large parts of subsistence farming. Kigali with its distinctive relief is a good example for these matters of facts [4,5]
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