Kigali could save Rwf250bn spent on treating air pollution-induced diseases

By Michel Nkurunziza.

Every year, more than three million Rwandans suffer from respiratory problems of which 13 per cent is caused by air pollution, and treating such air pollution induced diseases could save $200 million ( approx..Rwf250 billion) annually by reducing emissions from transport sector alone in Kigali city.

There could be a step to prevent and save the cost given that, at the 28^th UN Climate Change Conference-COP28 in UAE, Dubai, City of Kigali’s mayor-Pudence Rubingisa joined other mayors from the Partnership for Healthy Cities network, united in a call for local action on air quality monitoring to improve the health of urban residents.

Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network of 73 cities committed to saving lives by preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries.

“I am committed to beat non-communicable diseases in the City of Kigali by strengthening air pollution monitoring,” Rubingisa stated.

The air pollution monitoring is needed as more than 90% of people globally breathe polluted air and approximately seven million die from air pollution-related causes every year primarily due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke and lung cancer according to the World Health Organization.

Women and children involved in domestic work such as cooking are disproportionately exposed to air pollution like smoke from dirty cooking stoves and fuels while the elderly with lung or heart diseases are also vulnerable.

Air pollution is the second leading cause of noncommunicable disease (NCD) deaths, after tobacco.

NCDs associated with air pollution include heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

An air pollution monitoring station in Kigali.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost the entire global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits.

Citizens in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected—some 89% of premature deaths occur in these areas.

Air pollution is one of the highest risk factors for premature mortality worldwide and the highest among environmental risk factors, leading to more than six million premature deaths and more than 100 million disabilities annually worldwide.

In addition, the World Bank has indicated that air pollution causes more than $5 trillion in welfare losses annually.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only one per cent of the population living in urban areas in low and middle-income countries breathe air that meets WHO air quality guidelines.

The joint mayoral statement during COP28 said: “We stand committed to breaking the destructive cycle of climate change and air pollution and its disastrous effects on public health in urban centers.”

Statement by eight Partnership for Healthy Cities mayors urged local governments to take action to strengthen air quality data monitoring as world leaders convene at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The action could help prevent noncommunicable diseases in cities.

“Cities are bearing the brunt, so as mayors, we are in a race against time: With urban populations increasing rapidly, every year more children are growing up breathing toxic air. We cannot afford to delay putting systems in place that reliably monitor pollutants in our air—and harness this data to inform public health policy,” reads the statement.

It adds: “The size of our populations and our proximity to the challenges mean cities hold tremendous potential to enact change. We can also lead by example. That is why, as world leaders gather at COP28, we call on cities around the world to adopt effective air monitoring programs and use data to promote public health actions that improve the lives of their citizens.”

Simone Sandholz, the Head of Urban Futures and Sustainability Transformation Programme at United Nations University – Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) said that cities are producing more than 70 per cent of emissions which play a big role in non-communicable diseases.

“By building resilience in cities, we can really trigger a process which will help all of us to live a more sustainable life,” she said.

$200 million could be saved annually in Kigali

Rwanda could save $200 million from 2023 to 2030 by reducing air pollution in the transport sector in Kigali city alone, shows a study conducted by a team of researchers and Air Quality Specialists namely Egide Kalisa, Andrew Sudmant, Remy Ruberambuga, Yves Ujeneza, Jonathan Bower, and Shuyu Li.

“If the country records an annual reduction of 10 per cent of air pollution in the transport sector in Kigali city, it could save $200 million in a period of eight years from 2023 to 2030.”

The study shows reduction of air pollution in the transport sector in Kigali could save $40 million by 2023, $100 million by 2026, and more than $200 million by 2030.

Needed investment

In May 2020, the Ministry of Environment announced that the transition to electric vehicles.

Rwanda has developed a countrywide Air Quality Monitoring System which provides data on the quality of the air in 23 sites across Rwanda.

The Air Quality Monitoring System was developed through the Air Quality and Climate Change Monitoring Project, which has been funded by the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA).

It was designed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and implemented by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority and the Ministry of Education.

The system provides real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) for each station in both numerical and colour code format. It also highlights the dominant air pollutant which is responsible for air quality degradation during the reported period for each station.

It will help Rwanda to compare ground observation data with satellite data through remote sensing technology to verify their accuracy.

The system will further strengthen Rwanda’s existing field-installed air quality monitoring network by providing online access to pollution readings from each station as well as data management including data sharing mechanisms.

IDRC’s Urban Air Pollution and Non-Communicable Respiratory Diseases project interventions

To improve policies and practices, IDRC has been seeking to develop ecohealth research capacity in Africa and elsewhere in the world, focusing on various health and development issues.

The International Development Research Center (IDRC) is a Canadian Crown corporation that funds research and innovation within and alongside developing regions as part of Canada’s foreign affairs and development activities.

These efforts to deal with urban air pollution and non-communicable diseases have led to the establishment of a community of practice in the region, the Communauté de pratique en écosanté de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre (COPES-AOC), and the institutionalization of ecosystem approaches to health in various higher education and research institutions.

The latter has recently resulted in the creation of an inter-university doctoral program (Programme de doctorat interuniversitaire, PDI) in public health integrating health and environment, which has been adopted by five universities in the West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

This ecohealth chair project builds on these achievements to promote the development of ecohealth through high-quality research focusing on urban air pollution and its impact on health within the context of climate change, while training a new generation of researchers and leaders through the PDI.

The project will strengthen the existing institutional partnership in the region and foster an emerging international partnership, to provide the required ecohealth expertise and mobilize the necessary resources to ensure the sustainability of impacts and of the PDI.

The writer is reporting from the 28th UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai.

This story was produced with assistance from MESHA and IDRC Eastern and Southern Africa Office for science journalists reporting on COP28.