TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta's air quality on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, ranked second-worst in the world, according to the data from air monitoring site IQAir. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital recorded a level of 183, indicating unhealthy air conditions.
Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, topped the list with an AQI of 186, only three points higher than Jakarta. At the ninth position, there is the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, affected by wildfires in Sumatra.
Air Quality Index (AQI)
According to the American Lung Association, AQI is a system designed to warn the public when air pollution levels reach a dangerous threshold. AQI monitors tropospheric ozone (commonly known as smog) and small particulate pollutants (PM) from smoke, power plants, industry, motor vehicles, and other sources of pollution. The system also includes monitoring of other major air pollutants.
AQI information is regularly broadcast through newspapers, radio, television, and websites. By monitoring air quality regularly, the public can take preventive measures to protect themselves, children, and vulnerable groups from the impact of air pollution.
Air Quality Index (AQI) Categories
- Good (0-50): Healthy air, without significant risk.
- Moderate (51-100): Generally safe, but sensitive individuals should limit outdoor exertion.
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150): Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions are advised to reduce outdoor activities.
- Unhealthy (151-200): Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
- Very Unhealthy (201-300): Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.
- Hazardous (301-500): Health warnings of emergency conditions; the entire population is more likely to be affected.
Causes of Poor Air Quality
Citing the AQI site, there are several factors that trigger air quality deterioration:
- Burning of fossil fuels
- Industrial emissions
- Indoor air pollution, which can be caused by Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), poor ventilation, unstable temperatures, and non-ideal humidity
- Wildfires
- Microbial decomposition
- Motorized transportation
- Open burning of waste
- Construction and demolition activities
- Agricultural activities. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), "About 40 percent of emissions come from livestock, 16 percent from mineral fertilizers, 17 percent from burning biomass, and 8 percent come from agricultural wastes."
- Use of chemical and synthetic products
Effects of Poor Air Quality
According to the NRDC website, air pollution is now the fourth leading cause of premature death in the world. The State of Global Air 2020 report noted that about 4.5 million deaths in 2019 were related to outdoor air pollution exposure. Meanwhile, indoor air pollution contributed to about 2.2 million deaths in the same year.
Countries with large populations, such as China and India, are noted to experience the highest disease burden due to polluted air. "Despite improvements in reducing global average mortality rates from air pollution, this report also serves as a sobering reminder that the climate crisis threatens to worsen air pollution problems significantly," explained Vijay Limaye, a senior scientist at the NRDC.
He cited that smog can worsen due to rising temperatures, with pollutants forming when there is hot weather and high ultraviolet radiation.
Climate change also exacerbates the release of allergenic pollutants. "Climate change–fueled droughts and dry conditions are also setting the stage for dangerous wildfires. "Wildfire smoke can linger for days and pollute the air with particulate matter hundreds of miles downwind."
The impact of air pollution on the human body varies depending on the type of pollutant, duration and intensity of exposure, individual health conditions, and the combined effects of various other factors.
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