South Africa · North West · 6 cities
Air quality in North West today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Potchefstroom has the cleanest air of the 6 cities we track in North West (AQI 34, Good), and Hammanskraal the worst (AQI 75, Moderate). Klerksdorp has the most tree cover, at 35.8% — #9 of 66 cities measured in South Africa.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
AQI 47
Average right now
Good
- cities tracked
- 6
- average tree cover
- 25.8%
- South Africa: 21.8%
- worst air now: Hammanskraal
- 75
- cleanest air now: Potchefstroom
- 34
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
North West · average AQI 47
Air quality today across North West, city by city
| Rustenburg | 45Good | 20.6% | 29.5K | #38 of 66 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klerksdorp | 39Good | 35.8% | — | #9 of 66 |
| Potchefstroom | 34Good | 30.5% | — | #18 of 66 |
| Brits | 55Moderate | 29.9% | 314 | #20 of 66 |
| Hammanskraal | 75Moderate | 5.9% | 75.6K | #58 of 66 |
| Orkney | 35Good | 32.2% | — | #14 of 66 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in South Africa.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has North West lost?
Since 2001, North West has lost about 2,510 hectares of forest (about 3,500 football pitches): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (61%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,510 haabout 3,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 17%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,540 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 407 ha | 81 ha | 488 ha |
| 2002 | 42 ha | 14 ha | 56 ha |
| 2003 | 54 ha | 63 ha | 117 ha |
| 2004 | 49 ha | 87 ha | 136 ha |
| 2005 | 134 ha | 91 ha | 225 ha |
| 2006 | 49 ha | 21 ha | 70 ha |
| 2007 | 212 ha | 50 ha | 262 ha |
| 2008 | 106 ha | 24 ha | 130 ha |
| 2009 | 125 ha | 60 ha | 185 ha |
| 2010 | 22 ha | 10 ha | 31 ha |
| 2011 | 38 ha | 24 ha | 62 ha |
| 2012 | 58 ha | 34 ha | 92 ha |
| 2013 | 27 ha | 38 ha | 64 ha |
| 2014 | 34 ha | 61 ha | 95 ha |
| 2015 | 12 ha | 46 ha | 59 ha |
| 2016 | 27 ha | 49 ha | 76 ha |
| 2017 | 24 ha | 30 ha | 54 ha |
| 2018 | 20 ha | 42 ha | 62 ha |
| 2019 | 27 ha | 77 ha | 104 ha |
| 2020 | 19 ha | 19 ha | 38 ha |
| 2021 | 12 ha | 13 ha | 25 ha |
| 2022 | 10 ha | 11 ha | 22 ha |
| 2023 | 12 ha | 5 ha | 17 ha |
| 2024 | 6 ha | 7 ha | 13 ha |
| 2025 | 10 ha | 15 ha | 26 ha |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 20 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 67 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2001, when about 488 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in North West?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good59% · 1,480 ha
- Loggingcan grow back28% · 702 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back3.3% · 82 ha
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
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