The initiative aims to measure and monitor air quality in Malawi, with a particular focus on tiny particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter.
These particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, leading to serious respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The monitors also measure other pollutants, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and total volatile organic compounds.
Mubas Air Quality Project Team Leader Associate Professor Chikumbutso Chiziwa Kaonga said that nine air quality monitors have been installed in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Salima, Mzuzu and Zomba.
The outdoor monitors transmit data remotely and allow users to access real-time particle concentration levels through an interactive online platform.
Mubas Air Quality Project Team Leader Associate Professor Chikumbutso Chiziwa Kaonga said that nine air quality monitors have been installed in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Salima, Mzuzu and Zomba.
The outdoor monitors transmit data remotely and allow users to access real-time particle concentration levels through an interactive online platform.
Currently, Mubas is the only institution operating such monitoring points in Malawi, although Mzuzu University (Mzuni) plans to install similar equipment.
“We are only the second team in the country to have real-time air quality monitoring equipment. The first team had one monitor installed in Blantyre, which has since disappeared from the AirGradient online platform.
“For the first time, selected districts in Malawi now have data on the state of their air quality,” Kaonga said.
According to Kaonga, the four cities were selected to represent Malawi’s different regions, while Salima was chosen because of its lakeshore location and rapid urban growth.
The project is currently being piloted in these five districts, with plans to scale up nationwide in a second phase, subject to approval by the funding agency.
Director General of the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (Mepa), Wilfred Kadewa, welcomed the development, saying the country has long faced challenges in accessing reliable air quality data to inform policy and decision-making.
“The last time we relied on such datasets was from studies conducted by scientists from the Department of Physics and Biochemical Sciences in 2013 and 2014,” Kadewa said.
He added that during the development of the National State of the Environment and Outlook Report, which is being produced for the first time in 15 years following the 2010 edition, Mepa has engaged scientists from Mubas and Mzuni as chapter authors.
“This will ensure that the report captures recent, accurate and relevant data for effective policy formulation and decision-making,” Kadewa said.
He further said the scientists are collaborating with the Malawi Bureau of Standards, which sets national standards, and the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, which uses the data to develop air quality forecasts to support public and government decision-making.
As part of the project requirements, the research team also intends to collaborate with international organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).