Air and Water Quality Monitoring Project

The project aims to support monitoring and assessment of urban air and water quality in three cities in Africa – Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Cape Town. It is a collaboration between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE). The key activities include developing interactive city portals and a visualization dashboard for geospatial and statistical data related to air and water quality, building capacities for data analysis and visualization, and sharing best practices for policy development and implementation. The project objectives are to strengthen systematic approaches to environmental monitoring, equip local experts with technologies for near real-time data collection, and facilitate experience exchange for evidence-based decision making on urban sustainability issues. The activities are supported by the China Trust Fund.

Partners

UNEP ROA

Region / Country

3 pilot cities (Addis Ababa, Nairobi, and Cape Town)

Objectives

• Strengthen capacities for systematic air and water quality assessment to support policy development and implementation in the cities.
• Develop interactive city portals with real-time data dashboards related to key air and water quality parameters.
• Enhance availability and visualization of urban environmental data for decision making.
• Facilitate sharing of best practices, case studies and experience exchange between the three cities on air and water quality management.
• Support the cities in meeting relevant SDG targets related to air and water quality.
• Contribute to protecting public health through evidence-based policies to address air and water pollution.
• Promote a data-driven approach to urban sustainability planning and management in the cities.
• Foster regional cooperation between African cities on environmental monitoring methods and technologies.

Timeline

From – To     2019 – 2021

Outcomes

• Interactive data platform and profiles for 3 pilot cities
• Real-time air and water quality monitoring
• Best practice case studies and peer learning

Publications/website/portal

Africa Air Quality Community of Practice Portal

https://aqcopafrica.net/

Relevance to SDGs

• The outcomes would assist in achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by strengthening air and water quality monitoring and management in cities.
• It also contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) through improved air quality protection.
• The knowledge sharing supports SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).