City report · Mpumalanga, South Africa
Middelburg Air quality today
Air quality in Middelburg currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 53
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.0
- tree cover
- 25.6%
- trees in this area
- 80.4K
- more trees needed
- 13.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Middelburg, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 22, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Middelburg · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Middelburg's tree count comes to 80,425 trees across 12.57 km², 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 13,823 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Middelburg today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 8 station cities within 145 km, e.g. eMalahleni and Embalenhle
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.0
PM10
21.1
NO₂
14.2
O₃
111.0
SO₂
47.8
CO
126.0
- 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 Middelburg's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 30 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 4.
Where Middelburg stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Middelburg: Below target
25.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
80,425
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
13,823
CO₂ if planted / yr
304.1 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Middelburg lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Middelburg has lost about 37 hectares of forest (about 52 football pitches): 32% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for mining and energy.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 37 haabout 52 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 32%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 34 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 6 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 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2002 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2008 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2011 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2012 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Middelburg?
- Mining and energycleared for good69% · 26 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · 6 ha
- Loggingcan grow back7.5% · 3 ha
Also: towns and roads, 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
- 1,010 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 848 ha
- Overall change
- −163 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Middelburg shrank from about 1,010 hectares to 848 hectares, a net loss of about 163 hectares (−16%). New forest grew on about 86 hectares, but 249 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 Middelburg
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Emalahleni25.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 88
- Somaroboro79.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 64
- eMbalenhle93.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 1%
- Air quality
- 58
- Ermelo98.9 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 43
- Etwatwa108.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 53
- Nigel122.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 66
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Frequently asked
Questions about Middelburg
What is the air quality (AQI) in Middelburg right now?
The latest reading for Middelburg shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 15:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 145 km, 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 Middelburg today?
At AQI 53 (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 Middelburg been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Middelburg's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 30 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Middelburg lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Middelburg has lost about 37 hectares of forest (about 52 football pitches): 32% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for mining and energy. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Middelburg shrank from about 1,010 hectares to 848 hectares, a net loss of about 163 hectares (−16%). New forest grew on about 86 hectares, but 249 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Middelburg?
Middelburg has an estimated 80,425 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 25.6% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Middelburg need?
Middelburg needs roughly 13,823 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 304.1 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Middelburg'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 Middelburg; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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