Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city. Blame the dry season and vehicles for the gray skies

By EDNA TARIGAN
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities are blaming the dry season and and motorized vehicles as the main causes of air pollution in Jakarta, after a Swiss air quality technology company named the city as the most polluted in the world. Jakarta routinely tops listings of the world’s most polluted cities, most recently in a ranking by IQAir, which is based in Switzerland. Indonesia is now in the dry season, which runs from July to September, when air pollution will peak. Air quality in the greater Jakarta area deteriorates as dry air blows in from the eastern side of the country. The use of motorized vehicles is also a major factor, accounting for nearly half of air pollution in the capital.