September 2023 Air Quality Report: Lingering Concerns Amidst Declining Pollution Trends
💡 Summary:
📍 Tangerang becomes the most polluted city in September 2023, surpassing South Tangerang.
🚬 Sindang Jaya (Tangerang) grapples with an air quality equating to the smoke from 107 cigarettes.
🍃 🍃 Bali, Belitung, and the Thousand Islands register a concerning drop in their durations of clean air.
🚨 Regions such as Palembang, Jambi, Banjarmasin, Palangkaraya, and Sampit reel under the pressing threat of forest and land fires.
👶🏻👴🏻 Vulnerable age groups, specifically children and seniors, are most susceptible, exhibiting elevated respiratory cases and complaints.
September dawned with visions of bright blue skies. Yet, the narrative soon took a twist — a narrative dominated by stubborn air pollutants. The brief interludes of clear skies over Jabodetabek, though celebrated far and wide, were short-lived.
Areas like Sumatera and Kalimantan bore the brunt of deteriorating air quality, with forest and land fires casting long shadows over the landscape.
Plunge into the detailed revelations of the September 2023 Nafas Air Quality Report, where numbers breathe stories.
New Champion of the month: Tangerang
For months, from May to August, South Tangerang stood infamous for its air quality. Yet, September ushered in a change, placing Tangerang at the pinnacle with a pollution reading of 57 µg/m3. Close on its heels was South Tangerang at 56 ug/m3, and Bogor, securing the third position, with PM2.5 level of 48 µg/m3.
Sindang Jaya: Breathing Amidst the Smog
For Sindang Jaya's residents, the air has been as dangerous as inhaling the smoke of 107 cigarettes. In comparison, Serpong in South Tangerang showed a mild improvement with its September air equating to 98 cigarettes, down from 117 in August. But it’s still bad for our health!
Fluctuation in the Number of "Healthy" and "Unhealthy" Air Periods
Distinct patterns emerge as Depok and Bogor showcase significant pollution reductions compared to DKI Jakarta. However, cities such as Bandung Raya, Yogyakarta, and Malang Raya evidenced diminished hours of polluted air, with Surabaya showing an uptick. Notably, pristine destinations like Bali and Belitung marked a decline in their episodes of pure air in September.
Jabodetabek's Fleeting Freshness
September offered fleeting moments of blue skies and pretty good air over Jabodetabek, especially during the afternoons. Nafas data indicates a reduction in PM2.5 levels around midday, particularly between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM WIB, with wind speeds of 7 to 10 m/s playing a pivotal role.
Karhutla Emergency: A Serious Threat to Public Health
The specter of forest and land fires, especially prevalent in Sumatra and Kalimantan, casts a significant shadow over the air quality indices. While the Nafas network does not encompass these regions, supplementary data from ISPU KLHK and BMKG sketches a disconcerting landscape with air quality spanning categories from Unhealthy to Hazardous.
Nafas & Halodoc Study reveals short-term health impact when the air quality worsened
A collaborative study by Nafas and Halodoc reveals a concerning correlation: for every increase of 10 µg/m3 in PM2.5 (above a baseline of 31 µg/m3), respiratory complaints surged by 34%.
Vulnerable groups faced the direst consequences, with seniors experiencing a 48% spike in complaints and children following closely with a 32% increase.
At its core, air quality isn't a game of mere numbers—it mirrors our day-to-day well-being and life quality. ☝🏻
✅ Deep dive and discover more interesting insights, download the full September 2023 Nafas Air Quality
