Air pollution threatens the health of 1.4 million people across 7 districts in Busia. The average PM2.5 level is 22.5 µg/m³—4.5× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Busia faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 1.4 million across 7 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 22.5µg/m³. That's 4.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 373 cigarettes in a year.
If Busia met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.73 years longer.
That's 2.4M 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 7 most polluted districts in Busia. 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 Busia, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matayos | 293K | 22.1 | 1.7 years |
| Butula | 259K | 21.4 | 1.6 years |
| Funyula | 201K | 21.3 | 1.6 years |
| Nambale | 199K | 22.0 | 1.7 years |
| Teso South | 174K | 22.3 | 1.7 years |
| Budalangi | 145K | 28.1 | 2.3 years |
| Teso North | 106K | 21.9 | 1.7 years |
Showing 7 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.