Air pollution threatens the health of 1.4 million people across 15 districts in Upper East. The average PM2.5 level is 10.5 Āµg/mĀ³ā2.1Ć higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Upper East faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 1.4 million across 15 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 10.5Āµg/mĀ³. That's 2.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5Āµg/mĀ³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 174 cigarettes in a year.
If Upper East met the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³, the average person would live 0.54 years longer.
That's 772K years of life stolen from 1.4 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 Upper East. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 Āµg/mĀ³āonly populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Upper East, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 Āµg/mĀ³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bawku West | 159K | 10.5 | 0.5 years |
| Bolgatanga | 154K | 10.7 | 0.6 years |
| Bawku | 132K | 10.7 | 0.6 years |
| Bongo | 132K | 10.3 | 0.5 years |
| Kasena Nankana East | 109K | 10.7 | 0.6 years |
| Kasena Nankana West | 99K | 10.1 | 0.5 years |
| Talensi | 96K | 10.5 | 0.5 years |
| Tempane | 95K | 10.1 | 0.5 years |
| Pusiga | 89K | 10.5 | 0.5 years |
| Binduri | 84K | 10.7 | 0.6 years |
| Garu | 79K | 10.3 | 0.5 years |
| Builsa North | 62K | 10.8 | 0.6 years |
| Nabdam | 57K | 10.0 | 0.5 years |
| Bolga East | 43K | 10.6 | 0.5 years |
| Builsa South | 40K | 10.6 | 0.5 years |
Showing 15 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.