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Jakarta the most polluted city in the world

 Jakarta  - Just landed in Jakarta and the air seems to be covered in smog.  On Aug 9, the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir said Jakarta topped the list as the most polluted city in the world measuring 140 on AQI..   The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a standard measurement of ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and airborne particles.   An AQI figure of 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while 150 to 200 is considered unhealthy.  


Why has Jakarta fallen into the "unhealthy" category in recent months?  Some explanation given were the prolonged dry season, which worsened the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions.   Traffic jams can sometimes last for hours and Jakarta is known to have the worst traffic conditions in the world.  There are also so many vehicles in the city which rose from 18.7 million in 2018 to more than 21.7 million in 2021.  

But environmental advocates say that officials are ignoring another significant contributor to Jakarta’s pollution problem: the smoke-spewing factories and power plants surrounding the city that rely heavily on burning coal.

The pollution is so bad that on 15 Aug, readings for PM2.5, a class of airborne pollutants so fine that they can be inhaled and cause respiratory disease, reach 116.7 micrograms per cubic meter - more than 23 times higher than what the WHO considers safe.  This has contributed to respiratory ailments with more than 630,000 cases recorded in the first 6 months of the year.  Among the infected is President Joko Widodo said to be suffering from a persistent cough.

These 2 photos was taken from my room.  This is a thick smog covering Jakarta and I had to wear mask when I walked around the city, it's so bad.

the thick smog covering Jakarta


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