City report · South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Uvira Air quality today
Air quality in Uvira currently reads AQI 52 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 52
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.0
- tree cover
- 9.8%
- trees in this area
- 22.0K
- more trees needed
- 45.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Uvira · AQI 52 (Moderate)
Uvira's tree count comes to 22,044 trees across 9 km² of land, 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 45,437 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Uvira today: AQI 52, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 13:00 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
10.0
PM10
11.8
NO₂
0.3
O₃
83.0
SO₂
0.3
CO
180.0
- 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 Uvira's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 51 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 7.
Where Uvira stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Uvira: Critically low
9.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 9 km² of land.
Trees in this area
22,044
Target trees
67,481
More trees needed
45,437
CO₂ if planted / yr
999.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Uvira lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Uvira has lost about 161 hectares of forest (about 230 football pitches): 5.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 161 haabout 230 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 147 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2020, when about 24 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 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 12 ha | under 1 ha | 13 ha |
| 2003 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2004 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | 1 ha | 10 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 9 ha |
| 2011 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2012 | 5 ha | under 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2013 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | 5 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2016 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2017 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2018 | 22 ha | under 1 ha | 22 ha |
| 2019 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2020 | 23 ha | under 1 ha | 24 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 8 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Uvira?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good91% · 147 ha
- Shifting farmingcan grow back4.1% · 7 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown4% · 6 ha
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, towns and roads.
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
- 1,970 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,780 ha
- Overall change
- −188 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Uvira shrank from about 1,970 hectares to 1,780 hectares, a net loss of about 188 hectares (−9.6%). New forest grew on about 48 hectares, but 236 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 Uvira
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bujumbura24.9 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 73
- Cibitoke56.5 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 61
- Rumonge72.5 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 44
- Gitega87.4 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 52
- Ngozi94.1 km
Burundi
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 56
- Bukavu105.8 km
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 38
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Frequently asked
Questions about Uvira
What is the air quality (AQI) in Uvira right now?
The latest reading for Uvira shows an AQI of 52 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 13:00 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 Uvira today?
At AQI 52 (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 Uvira been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Uvira's daily AQI at 58 on average, from 51 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Uvira lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Uvira has lost about 161 hectares of forest (about 230 football pitches): 5.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Uvira shrank from about 1,970 hectares to 1,780 hectares, a net loss of about 188 hectares (−9.6%). New forest grew on about 48 hectares, but 236 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Uvira?
Uvira has an estimated 22,044 trees across the 9 km² of land measured — 9.8% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Uvira need?
Uvira needs roughly 45,437 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 999.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Uvira'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 Uvira; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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