By RSIF
The University of Rwanda’s Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things (IoT), Embedded Computing Systems with funding from the PASET Regional Scholarship’s competitive grants scheme, in close collaboration with a team from Makerere University is implementing a project to assess the levels of indoor air pollution in rural and urban communities in Rwanda.
The project aims to develop an IoT monitoring device that will help families assess the levels of indoor air pollution in their homes and propose mechanisms to help families implement measures to reduce the high levels of indoor air pollution detected to the acceptable levels as guided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The tool will also provide general information to create awareness to the families on the causes, dangers, and mitigation measures for indoor air pollution.
Air pollution is a growing challenge for Africa, with the rapid population growth, industrial growth and consumption growth which have greatly contributed to increased levels of pollution.
While a lot of attention has been given to managing outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution is proving to be the silent killer to many African homes where majority of the families still burn wood and use other biomass to cook and heat their homes. Children and pregnant women are significantly affected.
While deaths from indoor air pollution in Africa have declined by about 15% since 1990, the overall number of deaths is still high at over 400,000 as at 2017 according to a report published by UNICEF in 2019.
It is therefore imperative to create awareness of the dangers associated with the indoor air pollution exposure to African families.
More on this story: https://www.rsif-paset.org/university-of-rwanda-scientists-investigate-how-digital-tools-could-help-rwandan-families-monitor-indoor-air-pollution/?mc_cid=1858258b53&mc_eid=1589b4805b