Over 6M in Jakarta, Indonesia suffer respiratory illness amid alarming air pollution

Over 6 million people in Indonesia's capital Jakarta have been affected by acute respiratory infections due to worsening air pollution, according to the country's environment minister.

Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said Wednesday that the air quality in parts of Jakarta reached hazardous levels, according to online outlet the Jakarta Globe.

He warned that pollution in the northern districts of Jakarta has spiked to dangerous highs by midday, with real-time data from air quality apps like IQAir and public monitoring stations confirming the deteriorating conditions.

“The main sources of Jakarta's air pollution are industrial emissions and container trucks,” Hanif said.

Around 6,800 industrial chimneys are registered in the capital areas, though the actual number may be higher due to unlicensed operations.

“We've begun cracking down on open burning activities, especially in metallurgy and ore smelting industries,” he said.

He added that the impact of pollution on health is already severe, with preliminary data indicating that over 6 million people in Jakarta have developed respiratory symptoms, including acute infections that could aggravate existing conditions.

In a 2023 study, the US National Library of Medicine found that air pollution in Jakarta, particularly due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O₃), is responsible for significant health burdens. Specifically, over 7,000 adverse health outcomes in children, more than 10,000 premature deaths, and over 5,000 hospitalizations each year in Jakarta can be directly attributed to the city's poor air quality.