Air pollution threatens the health of 7.8 million people across 13 districts in Sud-Kivu. The average PM2.5 level is 32.1 µg/m³—6.4× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Sud-Kivu faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 7.8 million across 13 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 32.1µg/m³. That's 6.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 533 cigarettes in a year.
If Sud-Kivu met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 2.64 years longer.
That's 20.7M years of life stolen from 7.8 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 10 most polluted districts in Sud-Kivu. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Sud-Kivu, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walungu | 1.4M | 29.7 | 2.4 years |
| Kabare | 1.2M | 31.0 | 2.5 years |
| Uvira | 1.0M | 34.5 | 2.9 years |
| Kalehe | 841K | 31.3 | 2.6 years |
| Fizi | 816K | 32.6 | 2.7 years |
| Bukavu | 627K | 31.9 | 2.6 years |
| Mwenga | 592K | 32.8 | 2.7 years |
| Shabunda | 543K | 33.5 | 2.8 years |
| Idjwi | 344K | 32.2 | 2.7 years |
| Kamituga | 200K | 33.2 | 2.8 years |
| Uvira (ville) | 156K | 36.5 | 3.1 years |
| Shabunda (ville) | 79K | 34.2 | 2.9 years |
| Baraka | 14K | 35.4 | 3.0 years |
Showing 13 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.