Tajikistan has once again ranked among the top 4 countries with the worst air quality in 2023, according to the rating by the Swiss technological company IQAir. The polluted air in Tajikistan is causing deaths, crop loss, and requires millions of dollars to improve the situation.
Timur Idrisov, an independent environmental journalist, analyzed the World Bank report "Air Quality Management in the Republic of Tajikistan" from 2023. The average concentration of PM2.5 in Tajikistan in 2023 was 49 µg/m3, exceeding the annual safe levels recommended by the World Health Organization by 9.8 times.
In Dushanbe, this indicator reached 46 µg/m3, placing the city at the 4th position in the list of world capitals with the most unhealthy air. The report "World Air Quality" for 2023 is based on data from over 30,000 monitoring stations in 7812 settlements of 134 countries, measuring the PM2.5 particles in the air.
Unhealthy air not only affects human health but also agricultural crops. The mortality rate due to air pollution in Tajikistan is estimated at 78 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year, ranking second in Central Asia after Uzbekistan. The costs for healthcare are estimated at 4% of GDP.
Moreover, farmers are losing crops due to unhealthy air (ozone-related), and glaciers are melting faster (due to black carbon). Over the past 20 years, PM2.5 concentrations have increased from 17.8 µg/m3 in 1998 to an annual average of 32.7 µg/m3 in 2021. The concentrations remain high throughout Dushanbe, especially in the city center.
Specialists highlight dust (33%), residential heating (31% - individual households), energy sector emissions (9%, including central heating stations), waste (7%), industry (4%), and transportation (3%) as major contributors to air pollution.
Efforts are being made to improve air quality monitoring in Tajikistan, with projects supported by international partners. The World Bank estimates that approximately $111 million is needed to reduce harmful emissions in Dushanbe, which could lead to a significant improvement in air quality and a decrease in annual mortality cases.
The World Bank intends to assist Tajikistan in developing a roadmap to establish a sustainable and effective air quality management system. This roadmap will include steps to create a robust legislative and managerial framework, planning systems at national and local levels, coordination procedures, and enhancement of technical capacity.
