Very Unhealthy Air Quality (AQI 261)
AQI 261 (Very Unhealthy) at eMbalenhle North, Gert Sibande, South Africa
Geographic Context
This air quality event occurred near eMbalenhle (approximately 1 km away) in South Africa, an area that experiences a range of natural hazards. An estimated 93.2K people live within 5 km of the event location, placing this in the "severe" population impact tier.
Event Assessment
This event is a air quality event classified as high severity. Calamity.live has classified it as "high" severity with a severity value of 72.625. The computed Calamity Score is 31 out of 100, suggesting contained impact at this time. The primary scoring components are: historical (80), population (55), intensity (15). Data for this event was sourced from waqi, one of the 250 scientific monitoring sources aggregated by Calamity.live.
Regional Monitoring Context
South Africa has a documented history of air quality events. Monitoring for air quality events in the region relies on a combination of ground-based sensors, satellite remote sensing, and official reporting from national agencies. The frequency and severity of such events are tracked over time to support risk assessment and emergency preparedness.
Event Data
| Type | Air Quality |
| Severity | high |
| Severity Value | 72.625 |
| Calamity Score | 31 / 100 |
| Confidence | 62% |
| Coordinates | -26.5364, 29.0725 |
| Nearest City | eMbalenhle (1 km) |
| Population Exposed | 93.2K within 5 km |
| Impact Tier | severe |
| Timestamp | 2026-05-15T19:00:00.000Z |
| Source | https://aqicn.org/city/@12571 |
Score Breakdown
Technical Details
| Aqi | 261 |
| AqiCategory | Very Unhealthy |
| StationName | eMbalenhle North, Gert Sibande, South Africa |
| StationUid | 12571 |
Safety Information
Always follow official guidance from your local emergency management agency. This platform provides scientific monitoring data and is not a substitute for official warnings. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.
This data is aggregated algorithmically from scientific sources. Not a replacement for official emergency warnings.
Calamity.live data shows a air quality event with CalamityScore 31/100, near eMbalenhle (South Africa), based on data from waqi. Source: Calamity.live, a platform aggregating real-time data from 207 scientific monitoring sources.