City report · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Ntuzuma Air quality today
Air quality in Ntuzuma currently reads AQI 71 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 71
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 19.7
- tree cover
- 31.2%
- trees in this area
- 98.0K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Ntuzuma C, Ntuzuma, 4360, 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.
Ntuzuma · AQI 71 (Moderate)
Ntuzuma's tree count comes to 98,018 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 Ntuzuma today: AQI 71, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 17:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · City Hall - Durban-NAQI, 15.3 km away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
19.7
PM10
42.0
NO₂
18.3
O₃
51.7
SO₂
11.5
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · South Africa, 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 Ntuzuma's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 38 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 142 on Nov 11.
Where Ntuzuma stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ntuzuma: Healthy tree cover
31.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
98,018
Target trees
98,018
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ntuzuma lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ntuzuma has lost about 254 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 3.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 254 haabout 360 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 3.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 240 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 22 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 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2004 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2005 | 21 ha | 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2006 | 17 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2007 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2008 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2009 | 12 ha | 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2010 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2011 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2013 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2015 | 12 ha | 5 ha | 17 ha |
| 2016 | 6 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2017 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2018 | 18 ha | under 1 ha | 18 ha |
| 2019 | 10 ha | under 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2020 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2022 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2023 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2025 | 15 ha | 2 ha | 17 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Ntuzuma?
- Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 203 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 37 ha
- Loggingcan grow back2.1% · 5 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
- 7,310 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 7,310 ha
- Overall change
- −6 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ntuzuma stayed about the same size, at about 7,310 hectares: new forest grew on about 142 hectares, and about 147 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 Ntuzuma
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Durban15.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 71
- Mpumalanga31.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 117
- Pietermaritzburg55.4 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 69
- KwaDukuza56.3 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 31
- Richards Bay149.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 17
- Ladysmith173.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 41
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Frequently asked
Questions about Ntuzuma
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ntuzuma right now?
The latest reading for Ntuzuma shows an AQI of 71 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 17:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is City Hall - Durban-NAQI, 15.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Ntuzuma today?
At AQI 71 (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 Ntuzuma been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ntuzuma's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 38 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 142 on Nov 11. On 1 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Ntuzuma lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ntuzuma has lost about 254 hectares of forest (about 360 football pitches): 3.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ntuzuma stayed about the same size, at about 7,310 hectares: new forest grew on about 142 hectares, and about 147 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Ntuzuma?
Ntuzuma has an estimated 98,018 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 31.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ntuzuma need?
Ntuzuma has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Ntuzuma's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Ntuzuma C, 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 Ntuzuma C; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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