Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
Harare City Council is preparing to establish a comprehensive network of air quality monitoring stations modelled on Uganda’s capital, Kampala, as local authorities move to curb escalating urban pollution across the metropolis.
The initiative comes as findings from the Harare City Council 2025–2045 draft master plan expose high spatial concentrations of harmful atmospheric gases and particulate matter, particularly in high-density residential areas and industrial corridors.
A municipal delegation led by the head of health services planning, Mr Richard Chigerwe, recently visited Kampala to benchmark how Uganda collects pollution data and integrates it into municipal policy and enforcement frameworks.
The exchange was facilitated under the global partnership for healthy cities initiative.
Speaking during the study tour, Mr Chigerwe said establishing a robust monitoring system will provide the scientific backing necessary to enact strict local regulations.
“We need a strong air quality monitoring system that will give us evidence and help us strengthen our legislative framework,” Mr Chigerwe said.
“We want to understand how Kampala collects air quality data, uses it to inform decisions, and engages communities in environmental protection.”
An air quality monitoring system is a network of devices that measure pollutants in the air such as dust particles (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
The devices provide real-time data on pollution levels. This data helps city authorities identify pollution hotspots, warn residents during high-risk periods, guide urban planning and transport policies, and develop laws to protect public health from respiratory and heart-related illnesses.
The push for a monitoring system coincides with data in the city’s draft master plan revealing marked environmental disparities between residential areas.
According to the report, carbon monoxide (CO) levels in high-density suburbs—including Dzivarasekwa, Kuwadzana, Crowborough, Mufakose, Budiriro, Glen View, and southern incorporated areas—have reached 126 micrograms per cubic metre.
Considered moderately high, exposure to these levels over extended periods poses health hazards, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, and confusion, exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for long-term ambient exposure.
Sulfur dioxide levels average 33.32 micrograms per cubic metre, with localised hotspots recorded in Mabvuku, Tafara, Mufakose, Crowborough, Kuwadzana, Dzivarasekwa, and parts of Hatfield west of Epworth.
While within the World Health Organisation 24-hour limit of 125 microgrammes per cubic metre, the readings fall near the upper boundary of acceptable environmental air quality standards.
The draft report further details elevated atmospheric methane levels measuring 30.16 times 10 to the power 9 microgrammes per cubic metre.
Heavy emission zones dominate south-western suburbs like Highfield, Mufakose, Budiriro, Glen Norah and Glen View; southern settlements such as Hopley, Stoneridge and Southlea Park; and south-eastern areas including Hatfield, Greendale, Mabvuku and Tafara.
Conversely, nitrogen oxide levels remain low at 1.0 microgrammes per cubic metre. City planners noted that while low atmospheric levels of industrial pollutants are positive, they also reflect suppressed levels of manufacturing activity within commercial zones.
Particulate matter measurements – standing at 3.0 microgrammes per cubic metre for PM2.5 and 4.0 microgrammes per cubic metre for PM10 – remain within World Health Organisation annual safe thresholds of 5 microgrammes per cubic metre.
However, sharp geographic variations persist. Low-density northern suburbs record clean air with aerosol concentrations under 1.0 microgrammes per cubic metre.
In contrast, heavy commuting corridors — stretching along Mutare Road, the Central Business District, Second Street Extension, Nemakonde Road, and southern industrial hubs — exceed 4.0 microgrammes per cubic metre, signaling dust, smoke, and exhaust events.
Rising pollution in Harare is further compounded by massive daily population swings. City Council statistics show that while Harare’s resident population stands at 1 849 617, the city’s daytime population swells to over three million people as commuters flood in from surrounding towns and rural areas for economic activities. Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has deployed more than 100 monitoring stations since 2018 to track atmospheric conditions.
KCCA Director of Public Health and Environment, Dr Sarah Zalwango, said local data generation is critical for urban planning and public awareness.
“The authority established the monitoring network to generate data that informs decisions on air pollution management,” Dr Zalwango said, adding that clean air, green infrastructure and urban health remain directly intertwined.
