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Airleaf

City report · Kajiado County, Kenya

Ngong Air quality today

Air quality in Ngong currently reads AQI 97 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 97

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
33.8
tree cover
33.9%
trees in this area
107K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 2 km radius around Ngong, Kenya (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 24, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Ngong · AQI 97 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 24, 2026

Ngong's tree count comes to 106,500 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 Ngong today: AQI 97, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Kihumo Village || Antenna Array, 10.3 km away · median of 2 stations

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

33.8

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, The Demography Project

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 Ngong's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 46 · peak 65
Nov 4: AQI 56 (peak 65)Nov 5: AQI 41 (peak 59)Nov 6: AQI 44 (peak 54)Nov 7: AQI 52 (peak 57)Nov 8: AQI 42 (peak 56)Nov 9: AQI 44 (peak 53)Nov 10: AQI 44 (peak 53)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Ngong stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Ngong: Healthy tree cover

33.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².

Target reached

Trees in this area

106,500

Target trees

106,500

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Ngong lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ngong has lost about 477 hectares of forest (about 670 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108 hectares (23%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Ngong, January 2017

2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km north of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
477 haabout 670 football pitches
Share of its forest
13%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
108 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2016, when about 89 hectares of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Ngong, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Ngong, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.89

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Ngong, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
200131 ha42 ha73 ha
2002under 1 ha6 ha6 ha
20032 haunder 1 ha2 ha
20043 ha1 ha4 ha
20052 haunder 1 ha3 ha
20066 haunder 1 ha6 ha
20074 ha2 ha6 ha
20082 haunder 1 ha3 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20106 ha3 ha9 ha
20119 ha6 ha15 ha
20124 ha4 ha8 ha
20131 ha19 ha20 ha
20145 ha12 ha17 ha
20152 ha39 ha41 ha
20161 ha88 ha89 ha
20172 ha48 ha50 ha
201812 ha19 ha31 ha
20194 ha14 ha18 ha
20202 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20222 haunder 1 ha2 ha
2023under 1 ha8 ha9 ha
20244 ha13 ha17 ha
2025under 1 ha41 ha42 ha

What is causing deforestation around Ngong?

  • Loggingcan grow back76% · 363 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good16% · 75 ha
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7% · 33 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
10,400 ha
Forest in 2020
10,500 ha
Overall change
+58 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ngong stayed about the same size, at about 10,500 hectares: new forest grew on about 348 hectares, and about 290 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 Ngong

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Nairobi

    Kenya

    18.1 km
    Tree cover
    26%
    Air quality
    96
  • Karuri

    Kenya

    21.8 km
    Tree cover
    50%
    Air quality
    96
  • Limuru

    Kenya

    26.8 km
    Tree cover
    38%
    Air quality
    97
  • Kiambu

    Kenya

    27.3 km
    Tree cover
    42%
    Air quality
    97
  • 30.4 km
    Tree cover
    4%
    Air quality
    108
  • 35.2 km
    Tree cover
    6%
    Air quality
    74

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Ngong air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Ngong

What is the air quality (AQI) in Ngong right now?

The latest reading for Ngong shows an AQI of 97 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 19:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Kihumo Village || Antenna Array, 10.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Ngong today?

At AQI 97 (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 Ngong been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ngong's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 41 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 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 Ngong lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ngong has lost about 477 hectares of forest (about 670 football pitches): 13% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 108 hectares (23%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ngong stayed about the same size, at about 10,500 hectares: new forest grew on about 348 hectares, and about 290 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Ngong?

Ngong has an estimated 106,500 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 33.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Ngong need?

Ngong has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Ngong's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Ngong, 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 Ngong; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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