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Jakarta air pollution worsens, little progress after 2021 ruling
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Jakarta's skyline is pictured on June 7. On June 6, the city was ranked as having the worst air quality in the world by Swiss technology company IQAir. (AFP/ Bay Ismoyo)
T
he dry season has once again exacerbated Jakarta's chronic pollution issue, with the capital routinely topping the list of the world’s most polluted major cities in recent weeks.
On June 6, the city was ranked as having the worst air quality in the world by Swiss technology company IQAir.
The company recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 157, placing it in the "unhealthy" category, with 67 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of PM 2.5 pollutants, 13.4 times higher than the 5 µg/m3 that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe.
PM 2.5 is a class of fine airborne pollutants that can be inhaled and cause respiratory disease.
Jakarta Environment Agency spokesperson Yogi Ikhwan said Jakarta’s air quality had worsened since April, with an average PM 2.5 level of 29.7 µg/m3.
"In May the figure almost doubled to 50.21 µg/m3," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "Based on the PM2.5 trend from 2019 to 2023, Jakarta's air quality will periodically worsen during the dry season in May to August, but it will improve during the rainy season in September to December."
Yogi said the administration had taken measures to tackle the city's chronic air pollution issue, including by requiring vehicles to undergo emissions tests, implementing the odd-even license plate policy, increasing parking prices to reduce traffic and revitalizing pedestrian infrastructure.
