Kenya Sustainable Cities - Defining Airshed Management Zones
Most are familiar with the term watershed. Basically the landmark features that form the boundaries of where water flowing in the same direction converges. In geographical terms, a drainage basin.
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watershed.html
We can monitor water basins and their corresponding watersheds.
https://sites.google.com/site/isat380ekenya/home/water-budget/all-of-the-water-basins-in-kenya
Watershed examples in Kenya include
Tana River
https://wle.cgiar.org/content/researchers-work-restore-critical-kenya-watershed
Thiririka River
http://www.geo.fu-berlin.de/en/v/iwm-network/living_laboratories/Kenya/index.html
Counties can identify and manage watersheds within their boundaries and can cooperate across boundaries as well
Similarly, an airshed demarcates the boundaries within which land-based emissions and particulate matter flow towards the air. For example, within a given county, where are high concentrations of industrial activity, garbage burning, cookstove use, traffic congestion...
A brief background on airshed management
http://www.flatheadwatershed.org/natural_history/airshed.shtml
New Zealand example covering multiple municipalities
https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/natural-resources/air/airsheds/
Our goal with airshed management is to monitor the aggregate effects of human activity on air quality and the resulting impacts on biodiversity, human health and, yes, water quality.
We are concerned with noxious emissions and Green House Gases as well as Particulate Matter levels (both naturally occurring and from human pollution)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhaust_gas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPCC_list_of_greenhouse_gases
PM 2.5 http://www.sparetheair.org/stay-informed/air-quality-and-your-health/pm-health-effects
Examples of monitoring and interventions to reduce national PM levels
Switzerland (with global data)
Germany
http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/indicator-health-risks-due-to-particulate-matter
Effective airshed management is critical for both improved human health and for compliance with international agreements such as COP21.
New Zealand has a publicly available guide on population sizes and particulate matter levels that should be monitored in airshed management
Kenya has laid the foundations for a national airshed management system
System for Land Based Emissions in Kenya
http://www.sleek.environment.go.ke/
CSTI Managing Trustee, Prof Shem Wandiga (FRSC, EBS) has been conducting research on air quality at selected sites across Kenya. The data are the beginnings of the type of data collection needed for effective airshed management.
Emissions Monitoring
AIR QUALITY ASSESSMENT IN SELECTED SITES IN KENYA.pdf
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
POPS IN KENYAN ENVIRONMENT.pdf
Contact us for more details on hiring CSTI researchers for air quality and airshed management research
Images Courtesy of Pixabay.com