Air is a global renewable resource used by many and protected by few. It suffers from the tragedy that befalls many commons, that is pollution. According to G.T Miller, JR.and S. Spoolman (2008), air pollution is defined as the presence of chemicals in the atmosphere in concentrations high enough to harm organisms, ecosystems, or materials, or to alter climate. 

In Malawi air pollution is considered as one of the crucial environmental issues. Out of nine key issues it is placed eighth on priority issues. The inventories and studies show that air quality in Malawi is still in good condition, but future anticipated air quality problems are cause for worry such as impact on human health, climate change and ozone layer depletion.

Air Pollution Information Network for Africa (APINA) undertook comprehensive inventory of airpollution in Malawi as part of Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA ) funded regional project covering Malawi and the neighbouring countries. The results show that carbon monoxide is the largest pollutant interms of the total anthropogenic emissions, seconded by non-methane volatile organic compounds. The major contributors of these pollutants were production of solid fuels (charcoalproduction), transport, combustion in other sectors and burning of cropresidues.

Malawi has also experienced an extreme increase in motorized vehicles as evidenced by congested roads in the four major cities of Malawi which contribute significant amounts of carbon monoxide, carbondioxide, volatile organic compounds and secondary pollutants to the poor quality of air. 

Smoke and haze especially in the rural areas are other pollutants experienced in Malawi due to biomass burning such as charcoal and firewood. For Malawi, biomass accounts for 93% energy supply, and virtually more than half of Malawi’s population living in the rural area depend on biomass energy for cooking. 

Other pollutants include sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides through burning of coal for energy production mostly in the industries and factories.These substances deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere.

Airpollution has more adverse effects on the environment and living organisms. For example indoor air pollution is a threat to the well-being of people. Various studies conducted in Malawi clearly show that indoor air pollution is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affecting women and children. 

Some households cook in poorly ventilated kitchens there byexposing themselves to gaseous and particulate emissions. For example, carbon monoxide in heavy exposure causes headaches, drowsiness and blurred vision. Nitrogen oxides can cause asthma or chronic bronchitis.

Poor quality air may also result in acid rain when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are transported by winds and form secondary pollutants such as nitric acid vapour, droplets of sulfuric acid with water vapour in the atmosphere. This can cause accelerated corrosion on structures or buildings and loss of productivity of plant species.

It also causes global warming due to the accumulation of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere like carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide which depletes the ozone layer hence causes some diseases like skin cancer resulted from the penetration of dangerous Ultra Violet (UV) rays from the sun.

According tostudies by the World Health Organization (2008), air pollution causes 2.4 million deaths per year globally. Respiratory diseases maybe used as biological indicator of the state of air in a given area. Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. 

It is impossible to stop air pollution but it is possible to greatly minimize air pollution and its impacts on the environment and living organisms. This can be achieved through the following innovative ways.

Improvement of the efficiency energy technologies such as Chitetezo Mbaula (energy saving stoves) which uses less firewood but produces more energy than the ordinary charcoal stove. 

Extending the electricity grid to rural areas. This programme will reduce the overdependence of fuel wood in rural areas like charcoal and firewood that releases particulates into the atmosphere.

Promotion of alternative energy sources in order to reduce Malawi’s reliance on firewood and charcoal as main sources of energy. One of the alternative energy sources include production of fire briquettes using waste materials like used papers. The papers are soaked and mixed with sawdust then moulded into blocks.

Use of ethanol as source of fuel to vehicles and motorbikes. This can reduc overdependence on petroleum products like petrol and diesel for energy production that have great impacts on the air.

Production of bio-diesel from Jatropha curcas trees. This kind of fuel is more efficient because it does not produce more harmful substances to the atmosphere as compared to petrol and diesel which produces a great amount of sulphur oxides into the air.

Use of public transports like buses and trains rather than private vehicles. This helps to minimize the amount of polluting gases into the atmosphere because one public transport carrying 100 people can emit less amounts of polluting gases into the air unlike 100 people using their own cars each producing harmful substances into the air.

Sometimes it is better to ride a bike, or walk whenever possible on short distances in order to reduce the use of petroleum products.

Promotion of wind and solar technology for water pumping instead of using generators which uses fossil fuel to pump water. Wind and solar are clean and renewable sources of energy so they have less impact on the air unlike fossil fuels.

Planting more trees (afforestation) and conserving natural forests. Trees act as carbon sinks where carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is used by plants through the processof photosynthesis to produce oxygen. This is called carbon sequestration and it reduces the excess amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hence preventing climate change and global warming.

Mulch or make compost manure out of crop residues as part of conservation agriculture. Instead of burning crop residues they can be used as soil covers or mulch to the soil or they can be turned into compost manure to add fertility to the soil.

Use biological methods to control crop pests, diseases and weeds such as crop rotation. This reduces the application of synthetic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides which some of them are persistent and produce harmful toxic substances into the air, for example dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).

Phasing out leaded petrol and shifting to unleaded petrol. Lead (pb) is one of the toxic metals which is harmful to human beings when released into the atmosphere after incomplete combustion of leaded petrol (petrol containing lead). Therefore shifting to unleaded petrol will reduce the impacts on the environment and people.

Use a fan rather than air conditioners for cooling the room. Air conditioners release chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) into the atmosphere. These are synthetically made substances which are used in cooling devices like air conditioners. These substances deplete ozone layer by reacting with ozone gas in a chain reaction in which one atom triggers fission of other atoms. This can slowly lead to global warming and climate change. So there is need to use electric fans than air conditioners for cooling as they have no impact on the air.

Use plastic papers to make floor polish. Burning of plastics produces more harmful substances into the air so instead of burning them they can be melted and mixed with wax to produce floor polish. They can also be recycled to produce new plastic materials like plastic cups and plates.

Desulfurization. This is where sulphur is removed from fossil fuels like coal through chemical processes in order to reduce the emission of sulphur oxides into the atmosphere when they are burned.

In a nutshell, air quality in Malawi is still not a big deal; however, there is a need to setup monitoring systems to check for trends in air pollution. Policies and legal frameworks dealing with air pollution have been established and enforcement is what is necessary Industrial activities should be monitored for emissions and abatement of such be prescribed for each industry. Various initiatives, strategies and programs have been put in place in response to air pollution and its impacts while recognizing that social and economic factors will continue to play significant roles in achieving a better air quality in Malawi.

APINA, “Southern Africa Policy Dialogue on Air Pollution,” Lusaka, 2008.

[24] K. J. Gondwe and L. B. Mhango, “Report of Air Pollution Inventory in Malawi,” APINA net-work/RAPIDC SIDA Project, IES, Harare, 2008

Government of Malawi, “National State of Environment Report, 2002,” Environmental Affairs Department of Malawi, Lilongwe, 2002.

World Health Organization, “World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risk, Promoting Healthy Life,” World Health Organization, Geneva, 2002.