Improving air quality in Lagos with citizen science

DW (English)

Home to a population of over 20 million, Lagos has an air pollution problem, due to traffic, open fires, industrial emissions and landfills that release toxic gases. A citizen science project helps gather data on air quality.

Transcript

00:00It's six o'clock in the morning in Lagos.

00:05These early birds are about to run a marathon.

00:08They're part of a movement called Urban Better Citizens,

00:12which is active in a number of African cities.

00:15It integrates physical activity and citizen science,

00:19promoting youth participation in its push for more sustainable

00:23and healthier urban environments.

00:25We'll be going out with this mobile air quality sensor

00:28and the Urban Better Citizens app to collect air quality data

00:33and also data about the environment and equally sensitizing people.

00:38And then along the way, when we are going,

00:40we use the Urban Better Citizens app from our phone

00:43to capture what is happening around the environment at that time.

00:47Lagos struggles with bad air quality, especially during the dry season.

00:52Gathering data is highly valuable for researchers,

00:56helping them analyze the extent of the problem.

00:59The first step in finding solutions.

01:02Air pollution comes from a number of sources,

01:05such as cars, open fires or industrial emissions.

01:09Weather conditions can further influence air quality.

01:13Air pollution is measured by looking at certain chemical compounds in the air we breathe,

01:18mostly nitrogen compounds, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter or fine dust.

01:26The marathon runners are helping to create a map of the city's air quality.

01:31Road traffic and diesel generators are among the major pollution sources.

01:36The smoking of fish and open stove cooking, such as in this waterfront settlement,

01:41are further contributing factors.

01:44Prolonged exposure to a high concentration of these compounds can severely damage the lungs

01:50and is especially harmful for young and old people.

01:53Other members of the general public use the Citizens app too,

01:57uploading information on the urban environment.

02:00These women have spotted a pile of dumped garbage that has been burnt,

02:04as the charred remains reveal.

02:07They logged their observation in the data app.

02:11A lot could be fixed with better trash management.

02:16Lagos produces 13,000 tons of waste every day.

02:20And the city's two major landfills are already full to the brim.

02:25As the waste breaks down, it releases harmful gases, including methane.

02:32The Lagos Waste Management Authority is in dire need of ideas and alternatives.

02:39These are landfills that have been in operation for a decade to two decades,

02:44and they're full. We have to close them down.

02:46And in closing them down, we have to introduce circular economy practices,

02:51sorting waste at source, which is one of the policies of the government.

02:54And we're actually going to amend the laws to make it mandatory

02:58that every resident must separate their waste at home.

03:02In their homes, you must separate your waste into the papers,

03:05the plastics, the metals, and then the food waste.

03:09There are plans for waste to energy plants,

03:12a biogas facility which could fuel buses in Lagos,

03:15as well as more recovery facilities for recycling waste.

03:19To build citizen awareness, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, or LOMA,

03:26sends advocacy officers to markets to inspect, educate, and help with complaints.

03:31This woman tells them about a problem with waste collection here

03:38by a private contractor or PSP operator.

03:41You could see the market woman complaining.

03:47We give them the LOMA toll-free line for them to freely and easily,

03:51they can call, it's a toll-free line from an LTE line,

03:54for them to pass the agribience.

03:56Then LOMA has PSP coordinators all across.

04:00Where PSP operators are not doing the needful, we call them to order.

04:04There has been progress in other areas.

04:08LOMA introduced new recycling and waste bins in 2022,

04:12fitted with a chip to track collection.

04:18Households are required by law to buy the bins and subscribe to weekly pickup,

04:23but many just cannot afford the $50 containers,

04:27and not all settlements are reachable.

04:29In the meantime, the runners have finished their marathon.

04:36The data they collected on their run reveals heavy pollution in some areas

04:41where it exceeds critical levels.

04:43I'm going to go to the graph now.

04:45So you can see when we started, it was from moderate and then going to red.

04:50When we got to some point, it came down to yellow.

04:53The smoke kept coming up between Ilaja and Makoko area.

04:59You can visibly see it in that place.

05:02They present the data to the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency

05:06and discuss ideas to improve the situation.

05:11Even if progress is slow, awareness of air quality

05:14is an important step in improving living conditions in Lagos.

05:18In Lagos.

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