In one of the crowded districts of Kano, Chalawa, in the cozy weather, there is a heavy dust cloud in the air.
The people riding motorbikes, traders and children roaming by the road are wearing face masks, not because they are protecting themselves against a virus, but because they are filtering the dirty air.
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Air pollution has become a menacing phenomenon that this ancient city has never seen before as its once rich culture, and vibrant trade have happened to be in daily danger, and it is tightly connected with climate change and the expansion of the city.
According to air quality reports particularly from late 2024 through early 2026 indicate a critical, deteriorating situation in several regions, with 2025 data showing that 36% of the world’s population is exposed to PM2.5 levels exceeding the least stringent WHO interim target.
The data highlights a stark contrast, where air quality is improving in parts of Europe, yet rapidly worsening in Central Asia, Africa, and parts of the Global South due to industrialization, urban growth, and extreme weather.
A study of the environment was conducted by the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in late May 2025.
It discovered that such locations as Chalawa, Gaida, Ja’en, Sabon Titi, and Sharada are inhaling unhealthy air due to industrial companies.
There is a lot of fine particulate matter in the air, referred to as PM 2.5, which is an incredible small particle, approximately 30 times smaller than a strand of hair.
These small particles penetrate deep into the lungs and the blood stream leading to severe health hazards such as chronic lung and cardiac diseases.
The Workhorse of City living and Pollution
The rapid expansion of Kano has come with its share of good and bad.
It has resulted in an increase in job opportunities and the economy.
However, it has also brought about a city of traffic, increased number of cars and buses, and industrial sectors which are operating around the clock.
Kano is a city committed to a tradition of trade, and today is one of the largest cities in Africa, which has approximately 20 million residents.
That figure is increasing owing to the influx of more individuals out of the rural areas into the urban setting, causing major increases in air pollution from vehicles.
Many people in the city are moving around using private cars, mini buses, taxis, and motor bikes since the transport system is deteriorating.
Most of these vehicles are quite old and poorly maintained and use low quality of fuel.
This results in the release of harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and VOCs into the air.
These gases form haze and smog, as a result of which the sky in the city becomes gray.
Air quality studies in Nigerian cities indicate that urban cities such as Kano are characterized by high concentration of air pollution and other gases particularly during dry seasons when the air accumulates pollution close to the surface.
These pollutants are even more deplorable during the Harmattan, which introduces dust from the Sahara, worsening the quality of air.
Industry’s Heavy Toll
There are industrial zones outside the city centre with tanning plants and textile mills, plastic factories, and metal workshops.
These factories are good sources of employment to thousands of people although not all of them are properly controlled in terms of pollution.
Bad smells, toxic fumes and smoke tend to permeate into adjoining neighborhoods leading to irritation, asthma and heart problems.
A resident of Chalawa, Amina Suleiman who is also a labourer in one of the factories in the area lamented that “factory emissions during the night make them cough a lot, their chest is infected, and they experience other lung complications.”
Among the processes, which these residents refer to, there is used-engine oil re-processing.
Otherwise, this leads to the release of harmful substances.
Abdullahi Usman, village head of Chalawa said they have jointly reported the cases to the government authorities yet there are no strict environmental regulations being implemented so people continue to be in danger.
Lives in the Balance
Medical professionals raise the alarm. According to Dr. Isa Abubakar of Aminu Kano teaching hospital, noted that long term breathing of contaminated air poses a serious health issue.
“It may cause lung disorders, heart disorders and even brain disorders.
“Children are particularly in danger since their lungs are in the process of development.”
THE WHISTLER discovered that asthma, bronchitis and allergies have been reported from the affected areas.
Ibrahim Sulaiman in the Ja’en community complained that these threats are not imaginary to individuals.
“My daughter has been coughing for weeks and also the family of my neighbor are ill.
“It is frightening, really frightening.” He said, putting his head close to a dusty cluster of roadside stalls.
Climate Change: An Accelerating Factor
As the pollution locally is worsening the air, climate change is worsening it further.
The greenhouse gases that are emitted by vehicles and factories raise the temperature leading to further ground-level ozone, a significant constituent of smog that causes air to become even dirtier.
Scientists caution that alterations in climatic conditions through climate change may slow down the speed of wind flow, which traps the pollutants within urban areas and forms increased amounts of toxic air.
The heat island effect in Kano is also enhanced by deforestation and disappearance of green areas surrounding the city.
Trees also take in carbon dioxide and give out oxygen, thus purifying the air.
However, so much building and deforestation is going on, that there is not much of this natural protection left in the city.
Solving Kano Air Pollution Crisis — Experts
Experts are of the view that there should be stricter implementation of environmental regulations to ensure that industries abide by pollution regulations and utilise cleaner technologies.
Dr. Sadiq Umar, an environmental health expert, Bayero University Kano, highlighted that the crisis is more or less man-made and can be avoided.
He discussed that automobile emissions, industrials and generators produce most of the contaminated air that the residents breathe every day and that must be the focus.
“One of the largest challenges is transport,” he said.
Dr. Umar noted that the roads in Kano are filled with old and poorly maintained cars that have thick smoke.
“Creation of an efficient mass transport system, implementation of vehicle emission testing, and eventual elimination of vehicles that cause extreme pollution.
“Once there are less cars on the road and clean fuels are consumed, air quality gains almost instantly,” he disclosed.
An environmental policy analyst Dr. Musa Abdullahi, buttressed that the aim is not to close the factories but to make them cleaner and safer.
He emphasizes that the industries should be forced to install pollution systems as well as work within the environmental standards, especially those that are near residential dwellings.
“Stronger surveillance and punishment would coerce people into compliance and ensure safety to the populace without damaging the local economy.”
THE WHISTLER also identifies the excessive use of petrol and diesel generators as an air polluter that is silent in Kano.
Energy consultant Engr. Fatima Lawal opines that one of the most viable options to the city is the expansion of solar power due to the climate of the place.
She describes that by cutting off the use of generators in households, markets and governmental bodies, they would greatly decrease toxic emissions.
Kano Reacts
The Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has realized that air pollution in certain areas of the state capital has become a health hazard because of unhealthy levels of air quality and the increasing cases of respiratory diseases.
Dr. Dahir Muhammad Hashim, Commissioner of Environment and Climate Change, indicated that the government is also planning and undertaking environmental response activities in the affected areas to solve the issue.
“In addition to emergency response measures, the state gave the green light to a far-reaching Climate Change Policy that is intended to organize long-term action on emissions, sustainable development and resilience.
“The policy was formulated in consultation with various ministries and the policy offers a long-term plan of action to reduce pollution and ensure the protection of the environment is incorporated into transport, industrial, and waste industry, and in the sphere of energy.
“The government has also come up with new environmental protection laws that aim at stopping the pollution of the environment by the industrial discharge, waste disposal and other damaging practices, as well as sensitisation of the people through education on environmental responsibility,” he said.
A Breath of Hope
The presence of the big challenges notwithstanding, there is something to remain optimistically wary of.
In Nigeria and other urban areas, individuals are opting to use cleaner alternatives to transportation, such as electric vehicles and motor-free transportation, which would reduce pollution. Such concepts are just coming into being, in
Kano, and at some time in the future, they might enable the people to breathe easier and live healthier lifestyles as a result of decreased harmful air pollution.
But there is one thing we can say, time is short. The air is polluted every single day and people are exposed to health hazards particularly the most susceptible.
With Kano developing and evolving, pollution is not only a question of environmental protection, it is the correct course of action.
It involves making sure that Kano residents have easy access to clean air, good health, and a bright future in a city that is concerned about them.
This report was published under HumanAngle’s SCOJA Fellowship.