Nasionalberita.com – Air quality in Jakarta, Indonesia, again shows ‘unhealthy’ conditions. Data from the Air Quality Index (IKU) states that Jakarta is currently ranked first as a city with the highest level of air pollution in the world on Thursday (10/8/2023).
Based on the KPI figure, Jakarta has a score of 156 which makes it the city with the most severe air pollution in the world today.
Jakarta far surpasses Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which only has a KPI score of 140, and Lahore, Pakistan, with a score of 134.
According to IQAir, PM2.5 particles are still the main pollutant in Jakarta with concentrations reaching 58 micrograms per cubic meter of normal air. This figure is 11.6 times higher than the annual guideline value set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for air quality.
“Under current conditions, the concentration of PM2.5 in Jakarta has reached 11.6 times the annual WHO air quality guidelines,” said IQAir’s report on Thursday (10/8/2023).
This is not the first time Jakarta has set a record for air pollution. IQAir noted that the record for the highest pollution this week occurred on Monday (7/8/2023), where Jakarta reached an ‘unhealthy’ status with an IKU value of 161.
Apart from that, IQAir also noted that on Wednesday (9/8/2023) at 07.00 WIB, Jakarta had reached an IKU value of 165.
An official source from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) explains that PM2.5 particles are airborne particles with a size of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These particles can be in the form of dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets which can only be seen through an electron microscope.
IQAir also reminds that PM2.5 air pollution is a serious threat to global health. Their very small size allows PM2.5 particles to remain in the air for long periods of time and can enter the bloodstream when inhaled.
