City report · Western Cape, South Africa
Somerset West Air quality today
Air quality in Somerset West currently reads AQI 44 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
AQI 44
Air quality right now
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 8.0
- tree cover
- 17.3%
- trees in this area
- 54.0K
- more trees needed
- 39.7K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Firgrove Rural, Cape Town, 7130, South Africa (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Mar 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Somerset West · AQI 44 (Good)
Somerset West's tree count comes to 54,023 trees across 12.49 km² of land, 13 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 39,659 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Somerset West today: AQI 44, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 20:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Somerset West, 1.2 km away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
8.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · South Africa, South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS)
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Somerset West's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 40 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 126 on Nov 4.
Where Somerset West stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Somerset West: Critically low
17.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.49 km² of land.
Trees in this area
54,023
Target trees
93,682
More trees needed
39,659
CO₂ if planted / yr
872.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Somerset West lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Somerset West has lost about 2,040 hectares of forest (about 2,900 football pitches): 47% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (34%), after which forest can grow back. About 759 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from March 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,040 haabout 2,900 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 47%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 759 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is speeding up: about 90 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 71 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2022, when about 285 hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 24 ha | 34 ha | 58 ha |
| 2002 | 47 ha | 3 ha | 50 ha |
| 2003 | 38 ha | 13 ha | 51 ha |
| 2004 | 54 ha | 41 ha | 94 ha |
| 2005 | 50 ha | 41 ha | 91 ha |
| 2006 | 33 ha | 53 ha | 85 ha |
| 2007 | 16 ha | 74 ha | 91 ha |
| 2008 | 35 ha | 75 ha | 110 ha |
| 2009 | 36 ha | 164 ha | 200 ha |
| 2010 | 31 ha | 47 ha | 78 ha |
| 2011 | 16 ha | 58 ha | 73 ha |
| 2012 | 98 ha | 53 ha | 151 ha |
| 2013 | 12 ha | 18 ha | 30 ha |
| 2014 | 18 ha | 30 ha | 48 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 14 ha | 28 ha |
| 2016 | 19 ha | 19 ha | 38 ha |
| 2017 | 86 ha | 65 ha | 151 ha |
| 2018 | 49 ha | 25 ha | 74 ha |
| 2019 | 13 ha | 39 ha | 53 ha |
| 2020 | 13 ha | 27 ha | 41 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | 67 ha | 80 ha |
| 2022 | 9 ha | 276 ha | 285 ha |
| 2023 | 12 ha | 19 ha | 30 ha |
| 2024 | 14 ha | 22 ha | 36 ha |
| 2025 | 10 ha | 7 ha | 17 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Somerset West?
- Wildfirescan grow back34% · 691 ha
- Loggingcan grow back29% · 592 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good27% · 550 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.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 1,890 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,600 ha
- Overall change
- −284 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Somerset West shrank from about 1,890 hectares to 1,600 hectares, a net loss of about 284 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 100 hectares, but 383 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 Somerset West
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Cape Town40.7 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 61
- Paarl41.5 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 31
- Worcester75.6 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 36
- George335.8 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 34
- Kariega608.1 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 59
- Gqeberha626.2 km
South Africa
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 121
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Frequently asked
Questions about Somerset West
What is the air quality (AQI) in Somerset West right now?
The latest reading for Somerset West shows an AQI of 44 (Good), measured Nov 11, 20:00 local time by the Somerset West ground monitoring station, 1.2 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Somerset West today?
At AQI 44 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Somerset West been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Somerset West's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 40 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 126 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 Somerset West lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Somerset West has lost about 2,040 hectares of forest (about 2,900 football pitches): 47% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (34%), after which forest can grow back. About 759 hectares (37%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is speeding up: about 90 hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 71 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Somerset West shrank from about 1,890 hectares to 1,600 hectares, a net loss of about 284 hectares (−15%). New forest grew on about 100 hectares, but 383 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Somerset West?
Somerset West has an estimated 54,023 trees across the 12.49 km² of land measured — 17.3% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Somerset West need?
Somerset West needs roughly 39,659 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 872.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Somerset West's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Firgrove Rural, 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 Firgrove Rural; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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