City report · Lualaba, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tshilenge Air quality today
Air quality in Tshilenge currently reads AQI 65 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 65
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.9
- tree cover
- 53.2%
- trees in this area
- 167K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Dilolo, 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.
Tshilenge · AQI 65 (Moderate)
Tshilenge's tree count comes to 167,133 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 Tshilenge today: AQI 65, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 16:00 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
16.9
PM10
20.1
NO₂
0.4
O₃
73.0
SO₂
0.6
CO
133.0
- 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 Tshilenge's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 37 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 4.
Where Tshilenge stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Tshilenge: Healthy tree cover
53.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
167,133
Target trees
167,133
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Tshilenge lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tshilenge has lost about 1,490 hectares of forest (about 2,100 football pitches): 4.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (52%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from May 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,490 haabout 2,100 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 4.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 767 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 81 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 67 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2024, when about 104 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 | 15 ha | 11 ha | 25 ha |
| 2002 | 36 ha | 20 ha | 56 ha |
| 2003 | 67 ha | 20 ha | 86 ha |
| 2004 | 13 ha | 12 ha | 25 ha |
| 2005 | 33 ha | 17 ha | 50 ha |
| 2006 | 19 ha | 6 ha | 25 ha |
| 2007 | 24 ha | 11 ha | 35 ha |
| 2008 | 33 ha | 8 ha | 41 ha |
| 2009 | 45 ha | 15 ha | 60 ha |
| 2010 | 66 ha | 25 ha | 90 ha |
| 2011 | 22 ha | 17 ha | 38 ha |
| 2012 | 35 ha | 7 ha | 42 ha |
| 2013 | 25 ha | 9 ha | 34 ha |
| 2014 | 38 ha | 20 ha | 58 ha |
| 2015 | 44 ha | 35 ha | 80 ha |
| 2016 | 41 ha | 36 ha | 77 ha |
| 2017 | 47 ha | 48 ha | 95 ha |
| 2018 | 15 ha | 35 ha | 51 ha |
| 2019 | 15 ha | 43 ha | 58 ha |
| 2020 | 15 ha | 40 ha | 55 ha |
| 2021 | 15 ha | 70 ha | 85 ha |
| 2022 | 13 ha | 29 ha | 42 ha |
| 2023 | 22 ha | 76 ha | 97 ha |
| 2024 | 36 ha | 68 ha | 104 ha |
| 2025 | 34 ha | 43 ha | 78 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Tshilenge?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good52% · 767 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back47% · 699 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown1.4% · 20 ha
Also: wildfires.
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
- 26,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 26,500 ha
- Overall change
- +192 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tshilenge stayed about the same size, at about 26,500 hectares: new forest grew on about 715 hectares, and about 523 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 Tshilenge
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Mwene127.9 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 74%
- Air quality
- 66
- Kolwezi281.7 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 85
- Saurimo310.5 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 48
- Luena337.6 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 54
- Kamina338.2 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 44
- Lucapa368.8 km
Angola
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 49
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Frequently asked
Questions about Tshilenge
What is the air quality (AQI) in Tshilenge right now?
The latest reading for Tshilenge shows an AQI of 65 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 16:00 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 Tshilenge today?
At AQI 65 (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 Tshilenge been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tshilenge's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 37 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 71 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 Tshilenge lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tshilenge has lost about 1,490 hectares of forest (about 2,100 football pitches): 4.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (52%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 81 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 67 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tshilenge stayed about the same size, at about 26,500 hectares: new forest grew on about 715 hectares, and about 523 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Tshilenge?
Tshilenge has an estimated 167,133 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 53.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Tshilenge need?
Tshilenge has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Tshilenge'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 Dilolo; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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