Air Pollution in South Tangerang Highest in Indonesia

South Tangerang was identified as Indonesia's most polluted city in terms of air quality, according to a 2019 IQ Air survey. Air quality in South Tangerang reached 81.3 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), categorized as unhealthy. Besides South Tangerang, Bekasi's air quality was also deemed unhealthy, with an AQI index of 62.6 µg/m³. Unhealthy air can severely impact lung and heart health.

Five other Indonesian cities also exhibited unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups. These cities are Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Jakarta, Sawahlunto, and Surabaya. While largely attributed to vehicles, air pollution can also stem from coal-fired power plants (PLTU), as seen in Sawahlunto. Sawahlunto's air quality index was 42.7 µg/m³, higher than Surabaya's 40.6 µg/m³. Meanwhile, major cities like Jakarta recorded an air quality index of 49.4 µg/m³.

Three other major cities among the ten most polluted in Indonesia are Ubud, Badung, and Denpasar, which experienced moderate air quality. Ubud's air quality index reached 27.9 µg/m³, while Badung and Denpasar recorded 24.4 and 22 µg/m³, respectively.