City report · Eastern Cape, South Africa
East London Air quality today
Air quality in East London currently reads AQI 65 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 65
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.4
- tree cover
- 29.4%
- trees in this area
- 68.2K
- more trees needed
- 1.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Quigney, KuGompo City, 5211, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
East London · AQI 65 (Moderate)
East London's tree count comes to 68,164 trees across 9.28 km² of land, 1 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 1,391 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in East London today: AQI 65, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 18:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · East London, Buffalo City Metro, South Africa, 1.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.4
PM10
35.6
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, South African Air Quality Information System - SAAQIS
- 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 East London's daily AQI at 49 on average, from 40 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 5.
Where East London stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in East London: Below target
29.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9.28 km² of land.
Trees in this area
68,164
Target trees
69,555
More trees needed
1,391
CO₂ if planted / yr
30.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has East London lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of East London has lost about 887 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 887 haabout 1,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 772 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 128 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 | 11 ha | under 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2002 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2003 | 38 ha | 1 ha | 39 ha |
| 2004 | 28 ha | 3 ha | 31 ha |
| 2005 | 52 ha | 15 ha | 67 ha |
| 2006 | 45 ha | 4 ha | 49 ha |
| 2007 | 15 ha | 3 ha | 18 ha |
| 2008 | 71 ha | 18 ha | 89 ha |
| 2009 | 32 ha | 6 ha | 38 ha |
| 2010 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2011 | 30 ha | 3 ha | 33 ha |
| 2012 | 12 ha | 3 ha | 14 ha |
| 2013 | 24 ha | 5 ha | 30 ha |
| 2014 | 39 ha | 2 ha | 41 ha |
| 2015 | 26 ha | under 1 ha | 26 ha |
| 2016 | 13 ha | 5 ha | 18 ha |
| 2017 | 18 ha | 3 ha | 21 ha |
| 2018 | 35 ha | 5 ha | 40 ha |
| 2019 | 31 ha | 1 ha | 33 ha |
| 2020 | 105 ha | 23 ha | 128 ha |
| 2021 | 51 ha | 6 ha | 57 ha |
| 2022 | 22 ha | 2 ha | 24 ha |
| 2023 | 12 ha | 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2025 | 24 ha | 4 ha | 28 ha |
What is causing deforestation around East London?
- Towns and roadscleared for good72% · 643 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good13% · 114 ha
- Loggingcan grow back11% · 99 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 5,910 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 5,590 ha
- Overall change
- −322 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around East London shrank from about 5,910 hectares to 5,590 hectares, a net loss of about 322 hectares (−5.4%). New forest grew on about 67 hectares, but 390 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 East London
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mdantsane15.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 65
- Bhisho47.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 56
- Queenstown157.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 66
- Mthatha178.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 88
- Gqeberha237.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 121
- Kariega247.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 59
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Frequently asked
Questions about East London
What is the air quality (AQI) in East London right now?
The latest reading for East London shows an AQI of 65 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 18:00 local time by the East London, Buffalo City Metro, South Africa ground monitoring station, 1.2 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in East London today?
At AQI 65 (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 East London been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put East London's daily AQI at 49 on average, from 40 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around East London lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of East London has lost about 887 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around East London shrank from about 5,910 hectares to 5,590 hectares, a net loss of about 322 hectares (−5.4%). New forest grew on about 67 hectares, but 390 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in East London?
East London has an estimated 68,164 trees across the 9.28 km² of land measured — 29.4% tree cover, 1 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does East London need?
East London needs roughly 1,391 more trees to close a 1-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 30.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are East London's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Quigney, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Quigney; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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