Nairobi's polluted air doles out constant flu

NAIROBI, KENYA: Everybody talks about pollution of water in Nairobi all the time. Nobody, at any time, talks about pollution of the air around Nairobi. But they need to, especially if they were to know the extent to which the seemingly clear and colourless air is polluted. Some people may have a clue of how bad things are. In the morning or evening as you approach the city centre from afar, instead of tall buildings and bright lights, they see a dimly lit city struggling to be seen through a misty cloud that engulfs it.

It is visually horrifying but not enough cause for worry because soon after seeing the cloud of mist, they will be lost in it, able to see just a few metres ahead.

Here is why air pollution in Nairobi should worry you: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the normal level of fine dust (which is a significant health threat) is five times higher in Nairobi than that in countries like Sweden.

This already high percentage gets higher as one enters the central business district. But it is not only the dust that Nairobi residents need to worry about.

There is also the exhaust gas from vehicles and gases from industries and factories. These gases include carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

To these impurities, add smoke, lead and suspended particulates like pollen grains from flowers.

You may not see nitrogen oxide in the air while you walk in the city but your lung, heart and nose, however, have felt the direct effects of this invisible matter.

The WHO documents indicate that eye, respiratory, lung and even heart complications can be traced back to air pollution.

Among children, lead pollution is particularly harmful to their mental development.

When most people think of air pollution, all that comes to mind is the pungent smell arising from a garbage dump site, the slum nearby, a poorly taken care of sewerage system or the acidic gases that emanate from industrial areas.

These are just the visible effects. Concerns over air pollution influenced world environmental leaders in 1997 to come up with provisions during the Kyoto Protocol in which several countries committed to reducing the emission of specific gases that were deemed harmful to human, animal and plant survival in the world.

Air pollution in the city and elsewhere does not end in the air; it affects the rain, leading to the corrosive and harmful acid rain; it leads to poisoning of fish and other aqua life; the poisoning of vegetation, and it accelerates the decomposition of industrial structures.

In May, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) announced that it was in the process of drafting a bill that would in six months criminalise various air pollution activities.

During a Press address, Geoffrey Wahungu of Nema said: “The Bill will help reduce preventable cases of diseases caused by air pollution. Lung problems, asthma and other complications can be avoided if our air is less polluted.”

The Bill proposes hefty fines to be levied on those caught causing pollution.

A few months before Nema made this announcement, a study published in the Environmental Research Letters journal indicated that by 2030, Africa will be generating 20 to 30 per cent of the world’s combustion-driven sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, and 50 per cent of the world’s organic carbon combustion output.