City report · Lualaba, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mwene Air quality today
Air quality in Mwene currently reads AQI 66 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 66
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 17.5
- tree cover
- 74.4%
- trees in this area
- 234K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Sandoa, Lualaba, Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 16, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Mwene · AQI 66 (Moderate)
Mwene's tree count comes to 233,734 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 Mwene today: AQI 66, 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
17.5
PM10
20.3
NO₂
2.2
O₃
65.0
SO₂
0.6
CO
162.0
- 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 Mwene's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 42 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 70 on Nov 7.
Where Mwene stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Mwene: Healthy tree cover
74.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
233,734
Target trees
233,734
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Mwene lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mwene has lost about 850 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 97 hectares (11%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 2 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 850 haabout 1,200 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 97 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 64 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 20 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 118 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 | 1 ha | 5 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 4 ha | 35 ha | 39 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 14 ha | 16 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 15 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 12 ha | 55 ha | 68 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 3 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 3 ha | 24 ha | 27 ha |
| 2008 | 5 ha | 40 ha | 45 ha |
| 2009 | 8 ha | 47 ha | 54 ha |
| 2010 | 4 ha | 20 ha | 23 ha |
| 2011 | 14 ha | 47 ha | 61 ha |
| 2012 | 2 ha | 12 ha | 13 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | 17 ha | 21 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 29 ha | 29 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 11 ha | 12 ha |
| 2016 | 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | 22 ha | 24 ha |
| 2018 | 1 ha | 14 ha | 15 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 25 ha | 26 ha |
| 2020 | 2 ha | 24 ha | 26 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | 26 ha | 31 ha |
| 2022 | 2 ha | 32 ha | 34 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 24 ha | 25 ha |
| 2024 | 10 ha | 108 ha | 118 ha |
| 2025 | 12 ha | 100 ha | 112 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Mwene?
- Shifting farmingcan grow back87% · 742 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good11% · 96 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.2% · 10 ha
Also: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural 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
- 10,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 10,800 ha
- Overall change
- +404 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mwene grew from about 10,400 hectares to 10,800 hectares, a net gain of about 404 hectares (+3.9%). New forest grew on about 885 hectares, while 481 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 Mwene
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Tshilenge127.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 65
- Kamina262.7 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 44
- Saurimo272.2 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 48
- Lucapa280.4 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 49
- Kolwezi301.1 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 85
- Mwene-Ditu318.7 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 54
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Frequently asked
Questions about Mwene
What is the air quality (AQI) in Mwene right now?
The latest reading for Mwene shows an AQI of 66 (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 Mwene today?
At AQI 66 (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 Mwene been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Mwene's daily AQI at 52 on average, from 42 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 70 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 Mwene lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Mwene has lost about 850 hectares of forest (about 1,200 football pitches): 3.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to shifting farming, so much of it can grow back. About 97 hectares (11%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is speeding up: about 64 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 20 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Mwene grew from about 10,400 hectares to 10,800 hectares, a net gain of about 404 hectares (+3.9%). New forest grew on about 885 hectares, while 481 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Mwene?
Mwene has an estimated 233,734 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 74.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Mwene need?
Mwene has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Mwene'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 Sandoa; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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