Jakarta's air quality ranks second worst in the world on Friday morning

Jakarta - Air quality in Jakarta on Friday morning fell into the unhealthy category, ranking as the second worst city in the world.

According to data from the IQAir air quality monitoring website at 07:50 WIB, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Jakarta stood at 166, placing it in the unhealthy category with a PM2.5 concentration of 83.9 micrograms per cubic metre.

This figure indicates that the air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups, as it can be harmful to humans or sensitive animal groups, and can cause damage to plants or aesthetic values.

The website also recommended that, given the air conditions in Jakarta, the public should avoid outdoor activities. If outdoors, individuals should wear masks and keep windows closed to avoid dirty outdoor air.

For context, the ‘good’ category refers to air quality levels that have no effect on human or animal health and do not affect plants, buildings, or aesthetics, with a PM2.5 range of 0-50.

The ‘moderate’ category refers to air quality that does not affect human or animal health but does affect sensitive plants and aesthetic values, with a PM2.5 range of 51-100.

The city with the worst air quality ranked first was Kampala (Uganda) with a score of 167, followed by Kinshasa (Congo) in third with 134, Johannesburg (South Africa) in fourth at 123, and Lahore (Pakistan) in fifth at 117.

The Jakarta Provincial Government is preparing a rapid response to tackle air pollution in the capital during the dry season, which is predicted to occur from early May to August.

Rapid measures to handle air pollution during the dry season include improving the quality of air quality monitoring systems and conducting motor vehicle emission tests.

Furthermore, the Jakarta Provincial Government is currently evaluating its Air Pollution Control Strategy (SPPU) across various aspects, ranging from PM2.5 trends and sectoral emission loads to the impact on public health.

According to the Jakarta Provincial Government, air pollution control cannot be carried out by a single region in isolation; therefore, integrated joint action is required between regional apparatus organisations and cross-regional collaboration with areas surrounding Jakarta.