Indonesian Ministry Denies Report About Jakarta Being The World Most Polluted City

Share:

The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) refuted that Jakarta has the worst air pollution in the world. Sigit Reliantoro, the Ministry’s Director General for Pollution Control and Environmental Damage, said data comparisons were required to evaluate the capital’s air quality index, and the title as world most polluted city is not necessarily true.

“It’s important to correct the perception that Jakarta is the world’s dirtiest, most polluted city. We haven’t looked at other sources of information yet,” Sigit stated at a news conference on Sunday, the 13th of August, 2023, at the KLHK Ministry Office in Central Jakarta. He cited the website aqcin.org, which said Jakarta had a pollution level of 160. This amount was less than Yangon, Myanmar (211), Copenhagen, Denmark (500), and Anchorage, Alaska (200).

Reliantoro claimed that Jakarta had healthy air quality during the pandemic and pre-pandemic eras based on statistics from the government between 2018 to 2023. However, Reliantoro did not dispute that there had been an increase in pollution in recent months. 

This is because air quality measurements are made between tall buildings in Indonesian metropolitan regions, particularly Jakarta, with no wind circulation. “This causes the pollution to multiply,” Reliantoro explained.

Indonesian Ministry Denies Report About Jakarta Being The World Most Polluted City
Source Tribun News

This is added to motor vehicle emissions, resulting in persistent pollution and an increase in the concentration of even ten times from the level before. This is what Reliantoro referred to as the street canyon phenomenon.

Reliantoro claims that Bandung and other major cities saw the same occurrence. The air pollution was contained in the valley’s form and could only be removed by rain or wind.

The IQAir website listed Jakarta’s air quality as the world most polluted city as of 06:14 Jakarta time on Sunday, the 13th of August, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hits 170 points and classified in the unhealthy category. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value was 18.6 times higher than the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 at 93.2 micrograms per cubic metre.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AQI: 157) followed by Jakarta, Johannesburg, South Africa (AQI:156), Hanoi, Vietnam (AQI: 151), and Doha, Qatar (AQI: 140) were listed as the other most polluted cities in the world.

Interested in this topic? Check out our other articles from Social Expat: 

Content Writer

Being in love with writing at a young age, Anasya is eager to play with words and touch hearts. She’s been a content writer for a little over four years and officially be part of Social Expat in March 2023. Her perfectionism drives her to give her best on every project she handles.

Related News

The dry season once again brings the annual phenomenon of ice dew, locally referred to as upas, to Mount Bromo. Since the early hours of Wednesday, 9 July 2025, thin layers of ice have been observed forming on the sand and grasslands of the Tengger savanna in Cemoro Lawang Hamlet, Probolinggo Regency, East Java. Triggered […]

Plataran Bromo, GH Universal Bandung, and Resinda Hotel Karawang Highlighted in 2025 Travellers’ Choice Awards Three Indonesian hotels have been recognised among the world’s most family-friendly accommodations in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2025, announced in April. Each hotel, located in a different region of Java, offers a distinct experience for family holidays during the […]

The 2nd Most Crowded Island in the World – The Indonesian island of Bali, long regarded as a global tourism magnet, is now facing mounting pressure from overpopulation, largely driven by overtourism. Based on recent data published by Visual Capitalist and reported by the South China Morning Post, Bali is now the second most crowded […]

Flying kites near airports poses serious risks to flight safety, a concern that has materialised at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta), Tangerang, Banten. From 4 to 6 July 2025, kite activity near the airport led to significant disruption of aircraft operations, with 21 flights either delayed, diverted, or forced to cancel landing attempts. According to AirNav […]

Expat Property

Indonesia Visas

Expat Event

Social Networking Event
150,000
OZONE Bar
Social Networking
300,000
Beat Boat Bali
Business Networking
150,000
Manaw – Contemporary Thai Dining

Indonesia Guide

Just For Fun

Write For Us

Exclusive Promotions

Event Gallery