Unlike Jabodetabek, Air Quality In Aceh Is Very Good, This Is What BMKG Says

Photo of the air from Taman Putroe Phang in Banda Aceh City, Aceh Province, Wednesday (29/3/2023). (Doc. ANTARA)

BANDA ACEH - The phenomenon of air pollution in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) which has increased in recent weeks continues to cause unrest in the community.

However, conditions are much different in Aceh. The Aceh Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that the air quality in Aceh so far is still very good, because of the low pollution from large factories and fires.

"The current air quality of the Indrapuri area and its surroundings (Banda Aceh/Aceh Besar) is in a good category," said BMKG Aceh forecaster Stya Juangga Dirta, confirmed from Banda Aceh, Thursday.

Stya said that the air quality in Aceh is in the particulate matter (PM2.5), which is an air particle that is smaller than or equal to 2.5 millimeters (micrometers).

Thus, it can be concluded that the current air quality of the Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and surrounding areas is in the good category.

"The PM2.5 concentration measurement uses the Beta-Ray Lighting (Beta Attenuation Monitoring) method with a microgram unit per cubic meter (MM/3)," he said.

Stya explained that air quality is influenced by several factors, and the most dominant is pollution from large factories or industries. Then, it is also due to the presence of carbonic pollutants that can be sourced from forest fires such as those in Riau or Kalimantan.

Aceh's air quality is good, Diaz said, in addition to the lack of large industries or fires, it also often rains and still has the potential for some time to come.

"So that pollutants in the air also tend to decrease, because the nature of the rain itself can clean up pollutants that pollute the air," he said.

He said that in recent times there had been an increase in poor air quality, all of which were caused by industrial pollutants, imperfect burning of motorized vehicles.

"Then, Jakarta has not rained for a long time, so the pollutant particles survive in the air and pollute the environment," he said.

Although Aceh's air is relatively good, Stya also appealed to the public to continue to protect the environment at least by not burning garbage.

Then, multiply using public transportation rather than private, so that the pollution is always lower, and has normal activities.

Furthermore, the community is expected to avoid clearing the land by burning, because it can cause a hotspot source that has the potential to cause forest and land fires if the fire spreads. Because pollutants from land burning can pollute the air.

"This needs to be considered because there are still many people, both independent/infectious farmers and plantation institutions, who open land by burning, generally in Aceh Besar, Central Aceh, Bener Meriah," concluded Stya.