CAP – Air Quality Monitoring Pilot Project iLembe District, KZN
The displayed map above shows some of the monitors in our independent network.
The AirGradient map shows PM2.5 and CO2 concentrations.
The concentrations are monitored in real-time (live) and updated on the website every five minutes.
Click on the orange tab in the top right-hand corner and set it to PM2.5 µg/m3 (Units used in the SA National Ambient Air Quality Standards)
Scroll to find your closest location.
Click on the monitor icon to see the levels for the last 12 or 24 hours and the last 2, 7, and 14 days.
Also, look at the last 24-hour rolling average bar. Check it against the SA National Ambient Air Quality Standards
24-Hour Average
SA Standards 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 40 µg/m3 more than 4 days per year.
WHO Guidelines 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 µg/m3 more than 3 – 4 days per year.
Annual Average
SA Standards annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 20 µg/m3
WHO Guidelines annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 µg/m3
Collaboration Project / DOCRRA and CAP
Emissions Monitoring
Particulate Matter (PM)
CO2 – NOX – VOCs
DOCCRA also monitors CO2 emissions, a climate change indicator. Click on the icon to view the DOCRRA CO2 map.
Other Sites Monitored by CAP
The Vaal Triangle often registers the highest levels of harmful particulate emissions on the planet. See North West University B Channel 1 NWU, GP, ZA.
Collaboration Project / RBCAA and CAP
The monitors below are co-located with SAAQIS monitors (PM2.5 R=0.94 and CO2 R2=0.97)
RBCAA is the first network in South Africa to monitor CO2 emissions, a climate change indicator. Click on the icon to view the RBCAA CO2 map.
This project is an international collaboration with 30 universities and associations.
Collaboration Project / Eco-Sud (Mauritius) and CAP
IQAir World Air Quality Report 2023, lists Mauritius as one of only seven countries that meet the WHO’s air quality guidelines.
(Mauritius, Finland, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand, Grenada, and Iceland)
Basic Guide
- The colours displayed on the map are the most recent for each of the monitoring locations.
- Occasionally the monitors are offline and will be symbolised in grey.
- The scale used on our map shows the AQL / AQI colours and ug/m3 concentration levels similar to those which can be found on the current US-EPA Air Quality Index (AQI).
- The PM2.5 pollutants on the US-AQI (Pre 2024) are displayed on a 6-level scale, see more details in the image below.
Targets
The updated WHO guidelines (2021) state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 ug/m3, while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 15 ug/m3 more than 3 – 4 days per year.
The South African legislation states that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 20 ug/m3, while 24-hour average exposures should not exceed 40 ug/m3 more than 4 days per year.
We will monitor our air quality to see if our government will achieve incremental milestones and move toward cleaner air as per the WHO Guidelines.
| By Year | Annual mean
target µg/m3 |
24-hour mean
target µg/m3 |
Max days of
24 hr exceedances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | 35 | 4 |
| 2030 | 14 | 30 | 4 |
| 2035 | 11 | 25 | 4 |
| 2040 | 8 | 20 | 4 |
| 2045 | 5 | 15 | 4 |
Other Links
If you want to convert API to µg/m3 see Air Now – AQI Concentration Calculator.
Pollution levels can also be seen on the South African Air Quality Information System – SAAQIS