City report · Haut-Lomami, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bukama Air quality today
Air quality in Bukama currently reads AQI 60 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 60
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 13.9
- tree cover
- 15.7%
- trees in this area
- 44.9K
- more trees needed
- 40.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Bukama, Haut-Lomami, Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Bukama · AQI 60 (Moderate)
Bukama's tree count comes to 44,933 trees across 11.45 km² of land, 14 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 40,926 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Bukama today: AQI 60, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 19:00 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
13.9
PM10
15.4
NO₂
1.4
O₃
58.0
SO₂
0.4
CO
173.0
- 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 Bukama's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 43 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 7.
Where Bukama stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Bukama: Critically low
15.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 11.45 km² of land.
Trees in this area
44,933
Target trees
85,859
More trees needed
40,926
CO₂ if planted / yr
900.4 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bukama lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bukama has lost about 1,540 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,540 haabout 2,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 8.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,250 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 306 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 | 29 ha | 10 ha | 39 ha |
| 2002 | 243 ha | 63 ha | 306 ha |
| 2003 | 44 ha | 9 ha | 53 ha |
| 2004 | 28 ha | 2 ha | 30 ha |
| 2005 | 12 ha | 7 ha | 19 ha |
| 2006 | 67 ha | 14 ha | 82 ha |
| 2007 | 19 ha | 3 ha | 23 ha |
| 2008 | 110 ha | 24 ha | 134 ha |
| 2009 | 11 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2010 | 132 ha | 56 ha | 188 ha |
| 2011 | 24 ha | 3 ha | 27 ha |
| 2012 | 246 ha | 53 ha | 299 ha |
| 2013 | 16 ha | 2 ha | 18 ha |
| 2014 | 16 ha | 1 ha | 17 ha |
| 2015 | 8 ha | 2 ha | 10 ha |
| 2016 | 14 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2017 | 84 ha | 11 ha | 95 ha |
| 2018 | 23 ha | 5 ha | 28 ha |
| 2019 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2020 | 22 ha | 2 ha | 24 ha |
| 2021 | 10 ha | 3 ha | 13 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2023 | 14 ha | 2 ha | 16 ha |
| 2024 | 11 ha | 1 ha | 12 ha |
| 2025 | 50 ha | 11 ha | 61 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Bukama?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good80% · 1,230 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back18% · 276 ha
Also: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 4,190 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,920 ha
- Overall change
- −2,270 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bukama shrank from about 4,190 hectares to 1,920 hectares, a net loss of about 2,270 hectares (−54%). New forest grew on about 101 hectares, but 2,370 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 Bukama
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kamina107.6 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 44
- Kolwezi173.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 85
- Likasi220.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 56
- Kipushi322.7 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 3%
- Air quality
- 53
- Lubumbashi325.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 63
- Mwene334.3 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 74%
- Air quality
- 66
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Frequently asked
Questions about Bukama
What is the air quality (AQI) in Bukama right now?
The latest reading for Bukama shows an AQI of 60 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 19:00 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 Bukama today?
At AQI 60 (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 Bukama been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bukama's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 43 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Bukama lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Bukama has lost about 1,540 hectares of forest (about 2,200 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (81%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bukama shrank from about 4,190 hectares to 1,920 hectares, a net loss of about 2,270 hectares (−54%). New forest grew on about 101 hectares, but 2,370 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Bukama?
Bukama has an estimated 44,933 trees across the 11.45 km² of land measured — 15.7% tree cover, 14 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Bukama need?
Bukama needs roughly 40,926 more trees to close a 14-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 900.4 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Bukama'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 Bukama; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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