Impact of Open Burning Refuse on Air Quality: In the Case of “Hidar Sitaten” at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Open burning of refuse is one of the key sources that causes high air pollution in Metropolitan cities. This paper identifies pollutant concentration of particulate matter (PM(2.5)) emission and air quality index categories with the peak hour interval on Hidar Sitaten day, and present analysis of air quality in Addis Ababa from August 2016 to November 2019. Daily records, with a 1-hour interval, of raw concentration of air pollutant and air quality index data, were obtained from the AirNow website of Addis Ababa central monitoring station. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of the mean air quality index and concentration of PM(2.5). Accordingly, the study revealed that the peak hour for high pollutant concentration emission ranges between 8 pm to 11 pm hours, and the mean air quality index was more than a moderate level. Particularly, on Hidar Sitaten in 2019 at 9 pm the maximum concentration of PM(2.5) was 8.6 times higher than WHO air quality guideline standard of daily allowance. The highest mean of air quality index and concentration of PM(2.5) recorded was 112 and 44.2 µg/m(3) on 21 November 2017, respectively, and it was found to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. This implies that the concentration of PM(2.5) was harmful to people who are unusually sensitive to particulate pollution and have health problems. Therefore, public participation and strong regulations are needed on air quality management to strike a balance between a cultural practice of Hidar Sitaten and healthy air quality.