A recent report from Nafas, an air quality monitoring application, reveals that Tangerang Selatan (Tangsel) had the worst air pollution levels in Indonesia throughout October 2023.
Air pollution levels in Tangsel were calculated based on particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollution levels. The city recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), good air quality has a PM2.5 concentration between 0 and 5 micrograms per cubic meter. This means that Tangsel's pollution levels are 12 times worse than the WHO standard.
Based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) air quality index, PM2.5 air pollution levels in the range of 0-12 micrograms per cubic meter indicate good air quality; 12.1-35.4 micrograms per cubic meter indicates moderate air quality; and 35.5-55.4 micrograms per cubic meter indicates unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups.
Unhealthy air quality is in the range of 55.5-150.4 micrograms per cubic meter, very unhealthy air quality is in the range of 150.5-250.4 micrograms per cubic meter, and hazardous or toxic air quality is above 250.4 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to this index, the air quality in Tangsel is classified as unhealthy.
Besides Tangsel, Bandung Raya and Tangerang also fell into the unhealthy category in October 2023. Bandung Raya recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 57 micrograms per cubic meter, while Tangerang recorded 55 micrograms per cubic meter.
Nafas's Co-founder & CEO, Nathan Roestandy, stated that Indonesia is entering the transitional season in the last quarter of 2023.
This year's dry season, according to Nathan, was longer than in previous years. This has had significant impacts, such as widespread drought, increased fire incidents, and increased air pollution levels.
"Especially in October, we witnessed a high pollution surge compared to last year," said Nathan, as quoted from the report.
Nafas's data also shows that the number of hours with unhealthy air quality in October 2023 increased by 50% compared to October 2022. "Pollution increased by 50% this October, worse than in 2022," stated Nafas.
According to Nathan, the journey towards clean and healthy air is still long. He urged the public to remain vigilant and always check air quality before going outdoors.
Here are the 10 cities with the highest PM2.5 air pollution levels in Indonesia in October 2023:
1. Tangerang Selatan: 60 micrograms per cubic meter (unhealthy)
2. Bandung Raya: 57 micrograms per cubic meter (unhealthy)
3. Tangerang: 55 micrograms per cubic meter (unhealthy)
4. Bogor: 54 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
5. Depok: 51 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
6. Bekasi: 51 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
7. DKI Jakarta: 48 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
8. Malang Raya: 47 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
9. DI Yogyakarta: 44 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)
10. Semarang: 42 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate)