Jakarta Air Quality Ranked Third Worst in the World on Saturday Morning

Air quality in DKI Jakarta on Saturday morning fell into the unhealthy category. Based on monitoring, Jakarta ranked third as the city with the worst air quality in the world.

Data from the IQAir air quality monitoring site at 06:00 WIB recorded the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Jakarta at 163, with PM2.5 as the primary pollutant and concentrations reaching 79.2 micrograms per cubic metre. At this level, air conditions are categorised as unhealthy for sensitive groups, as they have the potential to disrupt human health, vulnerable animals, and even risk damaging plants and environmental aesthetics.

To minimise the negative impacts of pollution, IQAir recommends that the public avoid outdoor activities. Residents forced to be outdoors are advised to wear masks and close building windows to prevent dirty air from entering.

In IQAir’s global release on Saturday morning, the first rank for the worst air quality was held by Kinshasia (Democratic Republic of the Congo) with an AQI of 243, followed by Kampala (Uganda) in second place (AQI 240). Below Jakarta, Manama (Bahrain) ranked fourth (AQI 137) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) was in fifth position (AQI 134).

Responding to the persistent threat of pollution, the Jakarta Provincial Government, together with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), is currently preparing an air quality Early Warning System (EWS) to predict pollution levels more accurately. The development of this EWS is part of the Jakarta Provincial Government’s long-term strategy to suppress the impacts of air pollution and improve the quality of life for residents.

The presence of the EWS is expected to provide significant benefits for vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and sufferers of respiratory diseases such as asthma. With accurate predictions, the public can take preventive measures, such as limiting physical activities in open areas and wearing masks.