Air quality comparison · Liberia, 49.7 mi (80 km) apart
Buchanan vs Kakata Air quality index (AQI) today
Buchanan has cleaner air than Kakata right now: AQI 28 (Good) against 40 (Good).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Buchanan averaged AQI 37 against 50, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Kakata has lost more forest since 2001. Kakata has more tree cover.
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Buchanan28Kakata40
Head to head
Buchanan vs Kakata at a glance
Buchanan is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Kakata on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Buchanan | Kakata | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 28 (better) | 40 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 3.3 (better) | 7.3 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 37 (better) | 50 |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 3,120 ha (better) | 16,800 ha |
| Tree coverWithin 1.2 mi (2 km) of the center. | 19.9% | 34.1% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 21.5K | 0 (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Buchanan and Kakata right now?
Buchanan has cleaner air than Kakata right now: AQI 28 (Good) against 40 (Good). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either.
BuchananKakata
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Buchanan: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
Kakata: Model estimate · no ground station nearby. Data: Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 6 days?
Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Buchanan averaged AQI 37 against 50, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Buchanan6Kakata0
- Average AQI
- Buchanan37Kakata50
- Worst day, AQI
- Buchanan45Kakata58
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Buchanan | Kakata |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 21 | 33 |
| Nov 6 | 39 | 54 |
| Nov 7 | 33 | 50 |
| Nov 8 | 40 | 53 |
| Nov 9 | 45 | 58 |
| Nov 10 | 44 | 52 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Buchanan and Kakata today?
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Both are in the same EPA band today (Good), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
A good day to be active outside.
Windows
Open them to air the house.
Masks
Not needed.
Air purifier
Not needed.
Against everywhere else
How do Buchanan and Kakata compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Buchanan's air is cleaner than 82% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Kakata's is cleaner than 70%. Within Liberia, that is 100% and 50% of its 5 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Buchanan
- Beats 82%
- Kakata
- Beats 70%
More tree cover than…
- Buchanan
- Beats 47%
- Kakata
- Beats 76%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Buchanan or Kakata?
Kakata has lost more: about 16,800 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3,120 ha around Buchanan. 16,300 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2020, with 301 ha lost.
Worst year: 2014, with 1,810 ha lost.
| Buchanan | Kakata | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 3,120 ha (better) | 16,800 ha |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 29% (better) | 58% |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 2,380 ha (better) | 16,300 ha |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Holding steady | Slowing down |
| Main known cause | Farms, pasture and plantations (72%) | Farms, pasture and plantations (95%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Buchanan
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
Kakata
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km north of the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Buchanan or Kakata?
Kakata has more tree cover: 34.1% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 19.9% around Buchanan, or about 107,128 trees against 42,450.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Buchanan | Kakata | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 42.5K | 107K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 21.5K | 0 (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 934K kg | 2.4M kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 1.2 mi (2 km) of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Buchanan vs Kakata: your questions answered
Is Buchanan cleaner than Kakata?
On air quality, yes, right now: Buchanan reads AQI 28 against 40, a gap of 12 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Buchanan averaged AQI 37 against 50, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Buchanan and Kakata today?
The advice is the same for both today. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. Buchanan reads AQI 28 and Kakata reads AQI 40.
Which has lost more forest, Buchanan or Kakata?
Kakata has lost more: about 16,800 ha of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 3,120 ha around Buchanan. 16,300 ha of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Buchanan or Kakata?
Kakata has more tree cover: 34.1% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 19.9% around Buchanan, or about 107,128 trees against 42,450. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Buchanan and Kakata need?
Buchanan needs about 21,545 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Kakata about 0 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Buchanan and Kakata measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings are model estimates, with no ground station close enough to either. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Buchanan vs Kakata comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 8, 2026 and Mar 28, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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