Air pollution threatens the health of 503 thousand people across 8 districts in Totonicapán. The average PM2.5 level is 19.1 µg/m³—3.8× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Totonicapán faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 503 thousand across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 19.1µg/m³. That's 3.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 317 cigarettes in a year.
If Totonicapán met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.37 years longer.
That's 689K years of life stolen from 503 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 8 most polluted districts in Totonicapán. 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 Totonicapán, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Momostenango | 130K | 17.3 | 1.2 years |
| Totonicapán | 126K | 21.6 | 1.6 years |
| San Francisco El Alto | 71K | 20.1 | 1.5 years |
| Santa María Chiquimula | 63K | 17.5 | 1.2 years |
| San Andrés Xecul | 40K | 20.8 | 1.5 years |
| San Cristóbal Totonicapán | 36K | 20.6 | 1.5 years |
| Santa Lucía La Reforma | 25K | 13.3 | 0.8 years |
| San Bartolo | 12K | 17.1 | 1.2 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.