Air quality in Batam

What is the current level of air pollution in Batam?

Batam is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. According to a census conducted in 2010, Batam had a population of approximately 1.2 million people.

At the start of the fourth quarter of 2021, Batam was experiencing a period of air quality that was classified as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” with a US AQI reading of 104. This reading can be used as a reference point when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. Data is collected with regards to the six most prolific air pollutants commonly found and this figure is calculated from there. If information is not available for all six, then a figure can be deduced using the information that is available. In the case of Batam, both sizes of particulate matter were measured. PM2.5 was 36.7 µg/m³ and PM10 was 36.8 µg/m³. The PM2.5 reading is three and a half times above the target figure of 10 µg/m³ as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Although no level of air pollution is considered to be safe.

With a level such as this, the advice would be to stay indoors and close the doors and windows so as to prevent more polluted air from entering the rooms. The use of an air purifier would be beneficial but make sure it recirculates the air without importing more from outside. Those who are more sensitive to poorer air quality should try to avoid venturing outside until the air improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality mask should be worn at all times. All groups are dissuaded from partaking in vigorous outdoor exercise.

There is an app available from AirVisual for most mobile devices which gives information regarding air quality in real-time. This information will assist in your decision as to whether or not to go outside.

Does air quality vary much throughout the year in Batam?

Looking at figures released for 2020 by IQAir.com for the state of the same name, it can readily be seen that for the entire year, Batam’s air quality was “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The month with the best quality air was November with a reading of 15.6 µg/m³. The worst month was March with a 34.4 µg/m³ reading. Records pertaining to air quality were first kept in 2019 when the recorded figure was 52.8 µg/m³ which would be classed as being “Unhealthy for sensitive groups”. An improvement was recorded in 2020 when the figure was 24.2 µg/m³. However, this may not be a true reflection of reality because of the COVID-19 situation. Most office workers were encouraged to work from home and not commute to work on a daily basis. Many cities around the world noted how much cleaner the city air was at that time. Small factories and other production units were closed temporarily, so their emission ceased immediately.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Batam?

It seems that some pollution is caused by the importation of garbage from other countries. It is supposed to be paper waste which is bought to be recycled, but recently this waste paper is found to contain a large amount of plastic waste too. The unmanaged plastic waste in Indonesia reached 3. 22 million tons per year and is predicted to reach 7.4 million tons per year in 2025.

The plastic waste that reaches hundreds or even thousands of kilos is sold to the surrounding community for further sorting. After sorting the plastic waste is recycled, while the rest that cannot be recycled will be piled up and burned.

Air quality in most areas in Riau Province dropped drastically to the "dangerous" category due to smoke from forest and land fires.

The emergence of air pollution or pollution in urban areas generally comes from vehicle fumes, factory waste, dust and smoke haze from forest fires.

Can anything be done to improve the air quality in Batam?

Smoke from private vehicles is one of the main contributors to congestion and air pollution in cities. By switching from private vehicles to public transportation, air pollution due to vehicle fumes can be reduced.

Cycling or walking is an easy way to do when you want to travel a short distance. In addition to not producing pollution, cycling and walking are also good for body health. However, you are advised to avoid busy and congested highways or roads when walking or cycling to avoid exposure to vehicle smoke pollution.

Some people may think that burning garbage can reduce the problem of landfilling. In fact, this bad habit is one of the causes of air pollution. The smoke from burning waste is harmful to the health of the body because it contains toxic substances. Exposure to smoke from burning garbage or smog in the long term is known to increase the risk of various health problems, such as respiratory infections, heart and lung disorders, COPD and cancer.

The need for social engineering because behaviour change takes a long time by continuously increasing public and private awareness to take an active role in environmental management by consistently socializing environmentally friendly behaviour from an early age, including the initiation of using public transportation and the use of environmentally friendly vehicles such as bicycles.

Expanding Green Open Spaces as environmental engineering with pollutant absorbing plants and adding green lanes around roads that are densely accumulated by vehicle exhaust gases.

Improving traffic management towards environmentally sustainable transportation. Restricting private vehicles from entering downtown streets, for example from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

What are the detrimental effects breathing polluted air has on the human body?

There are different types of pollutants in the air you breathe every day. Starting from carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, ozone to heavy metals.

Particulate matter or PM is a collection of solid or liquid particles found in the air. The main components of PM are sulphate, nitrate, ammonia, sodium chloride, carbon black, mineral dust and water.

The presence of PM in the air is strongly associated with an increase in mortality and disease cases over time. The smaller the size, the easier these harmful particles are inhaled and absorbed into the lung tissue, where they then flow into the blood. Particles measuring 2.5 microns or less are the most at risk of damaging health and causing various diseases.