Riyadh Combats Dust Pollution

The Royal Commission is pleased to announce that in 2020, Riyadh recorded the lowest levels of dust pollution, as compared to the last four years. According to data collected from 16 air quality monitoring stations, 2020 saw an average of 471.5 hours of dust. 2018 recorded the highest levels of dust in the last four years with an average of 998.7 hours of dust.

Though not many people talk about it, sand and dust pollution are a growing concern. Research studies have indicated that prolonged exposure to these pollutants can lead to premature death. Dust pollution is a result of several factors like climate change, desertification and particle pollution caused by motor vehicles, industrial waste released via chimneys and burning wood.

Depending on the size of dust particles in the atmosphere, sand and dust storms pose a serious threat to your health. For particles smaller than 10µm, there’s risk of developing grave respiratory diseases since they are small enough to be inhaled. These can escalate to serious lung and heart diseases. Dust particles bigger than 10µm are too large to be inhaled but, nevertheless, pose a risk to our external organs by causing skin and eye infections.

The Al Zara monitoring station recorded the lowest levels of dust—314 hours, while the one in

Wadi Hanifa recorded the highest levels of dust—619 hours. The highest dust levels in the last four years were, yet again, recorded at Wadi Hanifa with 1988 hours of dust in 2017. Since then, Wadi Hanifa has come a long way in reducing dust pollution.

The Riyadh Air Quality app gives real time updates about the quality as it keeps recording the level of pollutants in the air, with constant updates from the various air quality monitoring stations scattered throughout the city. Download the app today to stay aware of the air quality levels in your surrounding areas.