Real-time emissions tracker eyes cleaner bill of health

Rwandan innovators are taking on air pollution with a monitoring device that tracks vehicle emissions in real-time, shutting down the engine if levels get too high.

Rwanda’s urban population is rapidly growing, deepening concerns about air pollution and the harm it’s causing to public health.

“Exposure to harmful emissions can lead to long-term health issues,” said Emmanuel Tuyizere, who led the research and development project. Vehicle emissions contribute heavily to respiratory diseases like asthma and bronchitis, he explained.

“Policymakers must put in place environmental and social governance codes.”

Ofili Methadius Iweanya, Environmental and energy policy expert

Tuyizere says the easy-to-use monitoring system sets off a buzzer sound as a warning if pollution levels surpass acceptable standards.

If the vehicle continues to pollute excessively beyond a set tolerance period – which could be days or weeks, depending on car usage – the device shuts off the engine, preventing further emissions.

Rwanda’s overall population is projected to increase by more than 50 per cent to 17.6 million by 2035 and to about 22.1 million people by 2050.

The number of vehicles in the country has also increased dramatically, from 55,000 in 1999 to over 220,000 in 2019, making air pollution from traffic a pressing health issue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution causes about 7 million deaths globally each year. And in Rwanda the numbers are rising too, with respiratory diseases becoming more prevalent due to worsening air quality, according to the UN Environment Programme.

In response to these challenges, Tuyizere and his team wanted to develop a device that would reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality and, ultimately, enhance public health outcomes.

The in-car device displays real-time emissions data on the vehicle’s dashboard to alert drivers to increasing levels. The idea is that this data can also be used to guide government policies on emissions reduction and air quality.

The project, which started in December 2023 and is expected to run for 18 months, received funding from the Science Granting Councils Initiative, a multilateral initiative that supports public science funding agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As well as having public health consequences, air pollution poses an economic threat in low- and middle-income countries such as Rwanda, as healthcare costs rise and environmental degradation slows progress toward urbanisation .

A study shows that air pollution-related deaths in Rwanda peaked at 12,743 in 1997, then sharply declined to 8,501 by 2013. However, since then there has been a steady rise.

“The government of Rwanda has taken steps to identify major air pollution sources and improve national air quality monitoring, particularly in the capital, Kigali,” said Tuyizere.

“Despite these efforts, ambient air pollution in Rwanda is a growing threat to human health, economic development, and human capital.”

Scaling up

Tuyizere adds that preparations are underway to set up machinery for mass production of the device.

He believes the system has great potential to scale up, not just in Rwanda, but across Africa, where many countries face similar air pollution challenges.

Methadius Iweanya Ofili, an independent environmental and energy policy expert who was not involved in the project, stressed the importance of incentivising car users to reduce their carbon footprints in order for such devices to be effective.

He wants to see governments introduce carbon credit schemes to reward drivers who maintain lower emissions, similar to those in place for oil companies.

“Drivers who work towards reducing their carbon footprints given the state of their cars will be rewarded, while carbon taxes should be imposed on car owners whose vehicles are emitting more,” Ofili suggests.

Having environmental inspectors on the roads to conduct regular vehicle assessments would also help enforce standards, he adds.