City report · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
KwaDukuza Air quality today
Air quality in KwaDukuza currently reads AQI 29 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 29
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.3
- tree cover
- 44.1%
- trees in this area
- 139K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Stanger Ext 6, KwaDukuza, 4449, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
KwaDukuza · AQI 29 (Good)
KwaDukuza's tree count comes to 138,544 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 KwaDukuza today: AQI 29, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · CAP / PLE, KZN, ZA., 12.4 km away · median of 6 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.3
PM10
—
NO₂
20.7
O₃
24.1
SO₂
41.2
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, South Africa, South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS), Communities Against Pollution (CAP), DOCRRA / CAP
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put KwaDukuza's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 36 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 111 on Nov 11.
Where KwaDukuza stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in KwaDukuza: Healthy tree cover
44.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
138,544
Target trees
138,544
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has KwaDukuza lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of KwaDukuza has lost about 490 hectares of forest (about 690 football pitches): 9.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 161 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 490 haabout 690 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 161 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2003, when about 65 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 | 6 ha | 26 ha | 31 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 13 ha | 14 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 60 ha | 65 ha |
| 2004 | 4 ha | 30 ha | 34 ha |
| 2005 | 9 ha | 18 ha | 27 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | 1 ha | 11 ha |
| 2007 | 4 ha | 28 ha | 32 ha |
| 2008 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2009 | 1 ha | 3 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | 9 ha | 20 ha | 28 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 12 ha | 15 ha |
| 2012 | 20 ha | 21 ha | 40 ha |
| 2013 | 6 ha | 36 ha | 42 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 18 ha | 23 ha |
| 2015 | 4 ha | 4 ha | 8 ha |
| 2016 | 12 ha | 4 ha | 16 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2018 | 15 ha | 9 ha | 23 ha |
| 2019 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2021 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2022 | 6 ha | 8 ha | 13 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | 4 ha | 12 ha |
| 2024 | 8 ha | 7 ha | 16 ha |
| 2025 | 17 ha | 3 ha | 20 ha |
What is causing deforestation around KwaDukuza?
- Loggingcan grow back65% · 320 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good29% · 144 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good3.4% · 17 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, wildfires, 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
- 3,670 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,760 ha
- Overall change
- +83 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around KwaDukuza grew from about 3,670 hectares to 3,760 hectares, a net gain of about 83 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 248 hectares, while 165 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 KwaDukuza
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Ntuzuma56.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 87
- Durban64.1 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 87
- Pinetown67.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 61%
- Air quality
- 87
- Mpumalanga83.0 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 107
- Pietermaritzburg92.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 69
- Richards Bay94.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 29
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Frequently asked
Questions about KwaDukuza
What is the air quality (AQI) in KwaDukuza right now?
The latest reading for KwaDukuza shows an AQI of 29 (Good), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by 6 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is CAP / PLE, KZN, ZA., 12.4 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in KwaDukuza today?
At AQI 29 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in KwaDukuza been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put KwaDukuza's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 36 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 111 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around KwaDukuza lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of KwaDukuza has lost about 490 hectares of forest (about 690 football pitches): 9.5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 161 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around KwaDukuza grew from about 3,670 hectares to 3,760 hectares, a net gain of about 83 hectares (+2.3%). New forest grew on about 248 hectares, while 165 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in KwaDukuza?
KwaDukuza has an estimated 138,544 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 44.1% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does KwaDukuza need?
KwaDukuza has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are KwaDukuza's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Stanger Ext 6, 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 Stanger Ext 6; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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