City report · North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Butembo Air quality today
Air quality in Butembo currently reads AQI 51 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 51
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 8.9
- tree cover
- 19.2%
- trees in this area
- 60.3K
- more trees needed
- 33.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Q. Kambali, Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Butembo · AQI 51 (Moderate)
Butembo's tree count comes to 60,319 trees across 12.57 km², 11 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 33,929 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Butembo today: AQI 51, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 11:00 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
8.9
PM10
9.5
NO₂
0.3
O₃
68.0
SO₂
0.2
CO
177.0
- 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 Butembo's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 43 on Nov 11 to an hourly peak of 85 on Nov 7.
Where Butembo stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Butembo: Below target
19.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
60,319
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
33,929
CO₂ if planted / yr
746.4 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Butembo lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Butembo has lost about 10,000 hectares of forest (about 14,000 football pitches): 42% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 2,490 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 10,000 haabout 14,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 42%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,490 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 707 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 646 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2021, when about 883 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 | 112 ha | 190 ha | 302 ha |
| 2002 | 65 ha | 101 ha | 166 ha |
| 2003 | 42 ha | 53 ha | 94 ha |
| 2004 | 55 ha | 107 ha | 161 ha |
| 2005 | 74 ha | 104 ha | 177 ha |
| 2006 | 30 ha | 86 ha | 116 ha |
| 2007 | 88 ha | 144 ha | 232 ha |
| 2008 | 41 ha | 41 ha | 82 ha |
| 2009 | 72 ha | 80 ha | 152 ha |
| 2010 | 70 ha | 86 ha | 156 ha |
| 2011 | 42 ha | 97 ha | 139 ha |
| 2012 | 49 ha | 57 ha | 106 ha |
| 2013 | 95 ha | 331 ha | 426 ha |
| 2014 | 147 ha | 500 ha | 647 ha |
| 2015 | 57 ha | 236 ha | 293 ha |
| 2016 | 124 ha | 455 ha | 579 ha |
| 2017 | 195 ha | 558 ha | 753 ha |
| 2018 | 127 ha | 539 ha | 666 ha |
| 2019 | 83 ha | 357 ha | 440 ha |
| 2020 | 172 ha | 618 ha | 790 ha |
| 2021 | 187 ha | 696 ha | 883 ha |
| 2022 | 144 ha | 549 ha | 693 ha |
| 2023 | 141 ha | 563 ha | 704 ha |
| 2024 | 138 ha | 508 ha | 646 ha |
| 2025 | 142 ha | 465 ha | 607 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Butembo?
- Loggingcan grow back75% · 7,520 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good15% · 1,490 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good10% · 1,000 ha
Also: 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
- 17,500 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 19,600 ha
- Overall change
- +2,070 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Butembo grew from about 17,500 hectares to 19,600 hectares, a net gain of about 2,070 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,920 hectares, while 850 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 Butembo
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Beni43.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 41
- Kasese88.2 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 55
- Ibanda137.4 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 71
- Mbarara172.2 km
Uganda
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 118
- Musanze186.5 km
Rwanda
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 41
- Bunia190.4 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 39
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Frequently asked
Questions about Butembo
What is the air quality (AQI) in Butembo right now?
The latest reading for Butembo shows an AQI of 51 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 11:00 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 Butembo today?
At AQI 51 (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 Butembo been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Butembo's daily AQI at 56 on average, from 43 on Nov 11 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 Butembo lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Butembo has lost about 10,000 hectares of forest (about 14,000 football pitches): 42% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 2,490 hectares (25%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 707 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 646 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Butembo grew from about 17,500 hectares to 19,600 hectares, a net gain of about 2,070 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,920 hectares, while 850 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Butembo?
Butembo has an estimated 60,319 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 19.2% tree cover, 11 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Butembo need?
Butembo needs roughly 33,929 more trees to close a 11-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 746.4 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Butembo'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 Q. Kambali; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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