Investigation of Open Burning Practices and Air Quality Implications in Kano Municipality

This study investigates open burning practices and their implications for ambient air quality in residential and commercial areas of Kano Municipality, North West Nigeria. Open burning of household and market waste is a widespread solid waste disposal method in Kano, attributable to gaps in formal collection coverage, and its contribution to fine particulate matter and toxic compound concentrations has not been adequately quantified in the local context. A four-week observational survey identified and geo-referenced burning sites across ten wards in Kano Municipal and Fagge Local Government Areas. PM2.5 and carbon monoxide concentrations were measured at burning sites and downwind receptor points using portable monitors during active burning and non-burning periods. Resident surveys with 240 households collected data on burning frequency, waste composition burned, health complaints, and awareness of alternative disposal options. Results show that burning frequency is highest in residential wards with the lowest formal waste collection coverage, typically two to three events per household per week. PM2.5 concentrations at downwind receptor points during active burning reach 380 micrograms per cubic metre on average, exceeding the WHO twenty-four-hour guideline by more than twenty times. Plastic waste inclusion in burn piles is documented at 74 percent of observed burning events. Households within 100 metres of regular burning sites report significantly higher respiratory and eye irritation complaint rates. The study argues that open burning is an environmental management failure that requires alternative collection strategies rather than prohibition without service provision. Recommendations include targeted formal collection expansion in high-burning wards as a primary intervention. Keywords: open burning, air quality, PM2.5, solid waste, Kano.