Air pollution threatens the health of 135 thousand people across 6 districts in Zambezi. The average PM2.5 level is 20.3 Āµg/mĀ³ā4.1Ć higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Zambezi faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 135 thousand across 6 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 20.3Āµg/mĀ³. That's 4.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5Āµg/mĀ³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 337 cigarettes in a year.
If Zambezi met the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³, the average person would live 1.46 years longer.
That's 197K years of life stolen from 135 thousand 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 6 most polluted districts in Zambezi. 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 Zambezi, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 Āµg/mĀ³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katima Muliro Urban | 43K | 20.8 | 1.5 years |
| Katima Muliro Rural | 29K | 20.7 | 1.5 years |
| Kabe | 20K | 22.8 | 1.7 years |
| Linyandi | 19K | 18.3 | 1.3 years |
| Sibinda | 14K | 18.7 | 1.3 years |
| Kongola | 11K | 18.4 | 1.3 years |
Showing 6 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.