L’aria Inquinata di Kampala in Uganda

Se non si agisce concretamente e urgentemente, la capitale della Perla d’Africa potrebbe diventare un luogo inabitabile nel giro di in una decina d’anni a questa parte.
Uganda, Eastern Africa

Story by Anna Adima. Translated by Sati Nunziati
Published on May 2, 2020.

This story is also available in GB ar cn de es fr kr nl tr



Come molte delle persone che vivono e vengono a vivere nella mia città, Kampala, in Uganda (dove attualmente mi trovo per il mio dottorato di ricerca) respiro giornalmente più di quello che dovrei della combinazione di polvere, fumi di scarico delle automobili e miasmi industriali che vanno a creare l’inquinamento atmosferico della città. 

Kampala è la capitale dell’Uganda, e con la sua crescita annuale del 4,03%, e una popolazione pari a 1,6 milioni di abitanti, è una delle città in più rapido sviluppo al mondo. La combinazione di crescita industriale e urbanizzazione è accompagnata dall’aumento sempre maggiore di veicoli: indicativamente 50.000 veicoli, tra cui automobili, autobus, camion, motociclette e taxi, si muovono tra le strade di Kampala. Molti di questi sono vecchi, non progettati per essere a basso impatto ambientale, e che, insieme ai pericolosi rifiuti industriali, contribuiscono alla crisi di inquinamento atmosferico. Altri fattori di tossicità sono causati dalla combustione dei rifiuti e dai fumi provenienti dalle abitazione in cui vengono utilizzati fornelli alimentati a legna o carbone. 

Kampala è la seconda città più inquinata d’Africa (preceduta da Kano in Nigeria): e con i suoi 2,5 MP (Materia Particolata Inquinante della grandezza di 2,5 micron, con l’impatto più pericoloso per la salute tra tutti gli inquinanti dell’aria) l’inquinamento ha raggiunto una media di 40,8µg/m³ nel 2018, superando di gran lunga il target raccomandato dall’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità di 10µg/m³. Tutti i giorni è possibile percepire gli effetti che l’insieme di tutti questi tipi di inquinamento hanno su Kampala. Quando mi trovo più in alto, su di una delle sette colline che circondano la città, sospesa sopra di essa, si può vedere una densa nuvola di smog, che la soffoca. Rimanere bloccati nel traffico straziante vuole dire essere esposti ai letali fumi di scarico prodotti dai veicoli che ti circondano. 

Muoversi all’aperto è pericoloso: ai comuni fattori di rischio nel camminare, andare in bici o correre, come l’essere colpiti da un’auto o essere aggrediti, ora si aggiunge il rischio di respirare aria nociva (ragione per la quale ho deciso di allenarmi in casa). Non c’è da stupirsi se anche i casi di malattie respiratorie sono in aumento; in Uganda il numero di morti legati all’inquinamento atmosferico era di 13.000 nel 2017. 

Le notizie locali dimostrano come ci sia una sorta di consapevolezza dei pericoli  legati all’inquinamento atmosferico, a Kampala così come in tutta l’Uganda. Molte testate giornalistiche incitano all’azione, e in collaborazione con ricercatori e con la Kampala Capital City Authority, stanno facendo grandi sforzi per educare il pubblico sui veleni che respirano. Nel 2018, il Governo dell’Uganda approvò una legge che vieta l’importazione di automobili più vecchie di 15 anni, allo scopo di far ridurre l’inquinamento del Paese, e obbligando i proprietari di automobili datate a più di cinque anni precedenti all’entrata in vigore della legge, di pagare una tassa ambientale. 

Ma tutto questo è abbastanza per combattere l’inquinamento dell’aria? L’andare in giro a piedi così come l’utilizzo dei mezzi pubblici in Uganda, generalmente associati alla classe operaia, sono spesso presi poco in considerazione dagli abitanti della città. I trasporti pubblici non sono sicuramente i luoghi più sicuri, o i più affidabili, e sono utilizzati maggiormente da donne, rendendole più esposte e vulnerabili a molestie e aggressioni (ed è molto triste sapere che molte donne tra le mie conoscenze abbiano dovuto averne esperienza). Quello che è richiesto è un doppio lavoro: da una parte per rendere i trasporti pubblici più sicuri, più accessibili e inclusivi per tutti quegli individui marginalizzati che sono presenti nello spazio urbano; dall’altra è necessario un lavoro per cambiare la mentalità rispetto al preconcetto diffuso che i mezzi pubblici siano riservati solamente ai meno abbienti. 

Di sicuro queste sono solo piccole soluzioni ad un problema che è molto più grande. Ma se non si agisce concretamente e urgentemente, la capitale della Perla d’Africa potrebbe diventare un luogo inabitabile nel giro di in una decina d’anni a questa parte.


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Anna Adima

Anna Adima

Of German-Ugandan heritage, Anna is a PhD student at the University of York in the UK, where she is researching East African History. She is particularly interested in women’s history, heritage preservation, and issues surrounding race and feminism. With stints in Mwanza, The Hague, Toulouse, London, and Nairobi – in between returning to her ‘passport countries’ – Anna is privileged to have called different places around the world home. When she is not covered in dust looking at old documents in historical archives, Anna enjoys drinking coffee, swimming, and can often be found curled up in her favourite spot on the couch reading a book. She tweets @anna_adima.

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