Is the air quality good in Southeast Asia?
On July 24, 2025, air quality is poor across western Indonesia and western Malaysia, in part due to forest fire smoke and peatland burning. Jakarta, Indonesia on Java Island was the most polluted major city at 2:30 PM PT (or 4:30 AM MYT, July 25).
For a more detailed look, see Jakarta’s air quality map.
Major cities ranking list showing Jakarta, Indonesia as the most polluted city. Source: IQAir.
Kuching, Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were the 5th and 9th most polluted city respectively.
Batam, and Medan, Indonesia were also the 16th and 29th most polluted cities in the world this morning. Kuala Lumpur and Medan are only about 210 miles apart across the Malacca Strait.
What is causing poor air quality in Jakarta?
Several fires have broken out on Sumatra Island, Indonesia (1). Indonesia's dry season runs from June to December, and fires can be most prevalent between August and October (2).
Drought ranges from moderate to extreme across peninsular Malaysia and most of Sumatra, especially in Medan and Kuala Lumpur (3).
Intentional, illegal land clearing by palm oil plantations can send clouds of smoke across the region. Fires, both intentional and unintentional, are common on Sumatra during the region’s dry season.
Industrial pollution and vehicle emissions can also be serious contributors to poor air quality in the region’s major cities.
Air quality map of Southeast Asia as of July 24, 8:30 AM. Source: IQAir.
Are there any air quality alerts in place?
Air quality alerts were issued in nine areas of Malaysia by the Department of the Environment on July 22 (4).
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How can I protect myself from poor air quality?
- Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
- Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
- Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
- Stay indoors when air quality is poor; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
- Run a high-performance air purifier to filter particles, gases, and other pollutants.
