Kreetika Kumar 
There is an urgent need for governmental action to establish robust air quality standards and long-term monitoring programs in Fiji and the Solomon Islands to mitigate health risks from poor air quality.
Four years of air quality monitoring across Suva, Fiji, and Honiara, Solomon Islands, show that air pollution frequently exceeds the 2021 World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual and daily Air Quality Guideline limits.
This poses a significant health concern for Fijian and Pacific Island populations.
Continuous monitoring from 2020 to 2023 has revealed that PM2.5 annual averages exceeded WHO guidelines every year in both urban and peri-urban environments in Suva often reaching twice the annual guideline level.
These results highlight a concerning frequency and intensity of exceedances in airborne particles that are harmful to human health.
On a daily scale, peak pollution levels are observed in the mornings and evenings, indicating a strong correlation between human activity and harmful air pollution levels.
Importantly, the monitoring stations measure ambient air quality and have not specifically targeted particular emission sources or hotspots.
A high-resolution dataset, recorded every two minutes, was developed through a collaboration between Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Health, the University of New South Wales, the University of the South Pacific, and the Fiji National University.
This detailed data allows for in-depth analysis.
