City report · Haut-Uele, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bakwa Air quality today
Air quality in Bakwa currently reads AQI 80 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 80
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 27.6
- tree cover
- 79.5%
- trees in this area
- 250K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Dungu, Haut-Uele, Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Bakwa · AQI 80 (Moderate)
Bakwa's tree count comes to 249,757 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Bakwa today: AQI 80, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 13:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Model estimate · no ground station nearby
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
27.6
PM10
41.4
NO₂
0.4
O₃
67.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
153.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bakwa's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 56 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 10.
Where Bakwa stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Bakwa: Healthy tree cover
79.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
249,757
Target trees
249,757
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bakwa lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bakwa has lost about 149 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 7 hectares (4.9%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 149 haabout 210 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 7 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2003, when about 35 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 5 ha | 5 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 33 ha | 35 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 15 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 10 ha | 10 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 19 ha | 21 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 6 ha | 6 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 12 ha | 13 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Bakwa?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back72% · 107 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.8% · 7 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back3.9% · 6 ha
Also: logging, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 29,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 29,100 ha
- Overall change
- +50 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bakwa stayed about the same size, at about 29,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 195 hectares, and about 145 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Bakwa
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Isiro152.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 58
- Yei363.9 km
South Sudan
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 62
- Wau402.9 km
South Sudan
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 63
- Bunia426.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 39
- Beni465.5 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 41
- Kisangani470.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 40
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Frequently asked
Questions about Bakwa
What is the air quality (AQI) in Bakwa right now?
The latest reading for Bakwa shows an AQI of 80 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 13:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Bakwa today?
At AQI 80 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Bakwa been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bakwa's daily AQI at 69 on average, from 56 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 93 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Bakwa lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bakwa has lost about 149 hectares of forest (about 210 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 7 hectares (4.9%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bakwa stayed about the same size, at about 29,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 195 hectares, and about 145 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Bakwa?
Bakwa has an estimated 249,757 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 79.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Bakwa need?
Bakwa has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Bakwa's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Dungu; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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