While Bandung recently received an award for its clean air, Jakarta continues to find itself on the wrong end of the air quality list. In fact, Indonesia’s capital is currently listed in the top five of the world’s most polluted cities in this matter.
Based on a real-time air quality index uploaded to the Airvisual website for a recent survey, Jakarta ranks fourth most polluted city in the world; below only Dhaka, Karachi and Ulaanbaatar.
Though Jakarta has managed to progress in the index after being ranked first in mid-August and then third in September, it has not managed to step out of the top five. It has failed to follow the likes of Lahore and Ankara; these two cities have managed to drop out of the top ten list after being in the top three with Jakarta a month ago.
It is suspected that the poor air quality in the Indonesian capital is due primarily to haze from vehicles’ exhaust. The capital’s residents are exposed to the severe air pollution on some days, particularly those who commute via motorcycles each day.
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the bad air and exposure to dust have been the main cause of asthma and other such bronchial diseases, according to local news outlet thedailystar.net. The main sources of air pollution in the city are road and soil dust, vehicles and the burning of biomass.
The air pollution in Karachi, Pakistan, is caused by the lack of waste treatment plants in the city and greenery according to a report by tribune.com.pk. In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, it is reported that up to 80 percent of the pollution is produced by ger stoves, which people use to burn wood and coal to survive the extremely cold winters.
See: This Gadget Knows When You’re Breathing Harmful Air In Indonesia
Featured image by The Jakarta Post.