Jakarta air pollution hits new dangerous heights; reading now 16 times higher than what is considered safe as Indonesians fear health risks

JAKARTA: Air pollution in Jakarta climbed to levels about 16 times higher than what the World Health Organisation considers safe on Thursday, turning the sky a toxic gray and placing it in the ranks of the world’s most polluted cities for dirty air, according to reports in the media and foreign wires.

The Indonesian capital, which is home to more than 10 million people, has been smothered in “unhealthy” levels of air pollution for several days, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir data.