Start of August, Jakarta's Air Quality the Third Worst in the World

Air Pollution (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The air quality in Jakarta on Saturday morning was unhealthy and ranked third as the city with the worst air in the world.

Based on data from the air quality monitoring site IQAir at 06.00 WIB, the air quality index (AQI) in Jakarta was at 163 or in the unhealthy category with PM2.5 air pollution and a concentration value of 79.2 micrograms per cubic meter.

Citing Antara, the figure has an explanation that the air quality level is unhealthy for sensitive groups because it can harm humans or sensitive animal groups or can cause damage to plants or aesthetic value.

The site also recommends the air conditions in Jakarta, namely for the community to avoid outdoor activities.

If you are outdoors, use a mask, then close the windows to avoid dirty outside air.

The good category is the air quality level that does not have an effect on human or animal health and does not affect plants, buildings or aesthetic values with a PM2.5 range of 0-50.

Then, the moderate category is the air quality that does not affect human or animal health but affects sensitive plants and aesthetic values with a PM2.5 range of 51-100.

Then, the very unhealthy category with a PM2.5 range of 200-299 or air quality can be harmful to health in a number of exposed population segments. Finally, dangerous (300-500) or in general the air quality can be seriously harmful to health in the population.

The city with the worst air quality is first place, Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, at 243, second place, Kampala, Uganda, at 240, fourth place, Manama, Bahrain, at 137, and fifth place, Dubai United Arab Emirates, at 134.

Meanwhile, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government together with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) is preparing an early warning system for air quality or Early Warning System (EWS) to predict air pollution more accurately.

The development of this air quality EWS is part of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's long-term strategy in reducing the impact of air pollution and improving the quality of life of the community.

The existence of this early warning system will provide great benefits, especially for vulnerable groups of people to the impact of air pollution.

The group includes children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with a history of respiratory diseases such as asthma and other lung disorders.

With more accurate and easily accessible air quality forecast information, the public can take various preventive measures when air quality is expected to deteriorate.

The steps include wearing masks when going outdoors, limiting physical activity in open areas, and reducing exposure to air pollution that can potentially harm health.