Thursday Morning, Jakarta Rises To The Third Position Of The Worst Air Quality In The World

Illustration of air pollution in Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Environment Agency informs that the air quality in the Jakarta area is currently categorized as very unhealthy. Jakarta is classified as the third city with the highest air pollution rate in the world with a score of 159.

The number one polluted city is Lahore, Pakistan with a value of 184, followed by Delhi, India with a value of 164, Dubai, UAE with a value of 158, and Kuching, Malaysia with a value of 154.

This is based on the air polluting standard index (ISPU) which shows PM 2.5 figures ranging from 101 to 199 on Thursday 5 October morning.

According to information available in the Environmental Information and Hygiene System of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Environment Agency, Lubang Buaya East Jakarta is one of the most affected areas with PM 2.5 reaching 121.

This figure indicates the level of air quality that is detrimental to human health, a sensitive group of animals, and can cause damage to plants and environmental aesthetic values.

The next category is very unhealthy, which is characterized by a PM 2.5 range of 200-299. This category indicates that air quality has reached a level that can harm health in a number of segments of the population exposed by it. Even more worrying is the dangerous category, which ranges from PM 2.5 to 300-500. In this category, air quality in general has reached a level that can cause a serious impact on population health.

The only category that is considered good is if the air quality level is in the PM 2.5 range of 0-50. Under these conditions, air is considered not to have a negative effect on human or animal health, and has no impact on environmental plants, buildings, or aesthetic values.

Apart from Lubang Buaya in East Jakarta, other areas in Jakarta are also facing problems with moderate air quality. For example, the HI Roundabout in Central Jakarta has an ISPU number of 91, Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta with 87, Jagakarsa in South Jakarta with 77, and Kebon Jeruk in West Jakarta with 65.

The high air quality index (IKU) in Jakarta is the result of PM 2.5 concentration which has now reached 14.4 times the air quality guide value set by the world health organization (WHO).

This air quality data is obtained from monitoring at 20 monitoring stations spread across various locations, such as Permai Screen (PIK), Perjuangan Highway (Kebon Jeruk), and Jimbaran (Ancol).

In this situation, protection and mitigation measures must be taken immediately to maintain the health of the people of Jakarta who are exposed to this bad air condition.