Air pollution threatens the health of 7.0 million people across 8 districts in Eastern Cape. The average PM2.5 level is 8.2 µg/m³—1.6× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Eastern Cape faces significant air pollution challenges. 75% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 7.0 million across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 8.2µg/m³. That's 1.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 136 cigarettes in a year.
If Eastern Cape met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.32 years longer.
That's 2.2M years of life stolen from 7.0 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 8 most polluted districts in Eastern Cape. 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 Eastern Cape, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| O.R.Tambo | 1.4M | 8.8 | 0.4 years |
| Nelson Mandela Bay | 1.1M | 4.6 | 0.0 years |
| Buffalo City | 920K | 5.8 | 0.1 years |
| Alfred Nzo | 904K | 12.9 | 0.8 years |
| Amathole | 868K | 6.5 | 0.1 years |
| Chris Hani | 790K | 10.5 | 0.5 years |
| Cacadu | 514K | 4.3 | 0.0 years |
| Joe Gqabi | 380K | 15.0 | 1.0 years |
Showing 8 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.