The Indonesian government is racing against the clock to deal with issues including pollution in Jakarta, logistical problems and even forest fires in the games' other host city Palembang. CGTN's Silkina Ahluwalia spoke to city officials to hear what they're doing to deal with those problems with the opening of the games, just 24 hours away.

As Indonesia prepares to host the prestigious Asian Games, the country's capital is dealing with concerns over unhealthy air pollution. Traffic congestion in Jakarta is one of the world's worst and the city administration has long struggled to clean up air quality. In the past month, Jakarta's score on the Air Quality Index reached as high as 170.

DR. ZAINI K. SARAGIH NATIONAL JAKARTA UNIVERSITY "Anything above the 100 to 150 on the Air Quality Index can already start to impact people's health. Some of the venues for the Asian Games' events will be in the centre of city, where pollution is high and that is concerning but it shouldn't bother the athletes too much because many of their sporting activities will be held in indoor areas such as the athlete village."

The World Health Organization recently stated Jakarta's air quality to be unsafe. Continuous exposure to air quality above 150 on the index can cause serious illnesses including lung infections and even cancer. Hotspots near the Games' second venue Palembang is also at risk of flaring up following the dry season. With only days to go, the Indonesian government is now making significant changes to the cities that will be hosting the games.

ALI MAULANA ASSISTANT TO DIRECTOR, JAKARTA ENVIRONMENT AGENCY "We have started to clean up the cities from last year. We know how important it is to have clean air for athletes and sporting activities. Jakarta is a big and condensed city with lots of people, cars and motorcycles, that's one of our challenges. We are educating people on the importance of adopting healthy habits and keeping their communities clean especially when it comes to trash and waste."

Those modifications are inspired by the changes made by the Beijing administration ten years ago when it also curbed traffic and closed factories to prepare for the 2008 Olympics.

 SILKINA AHLUWALIA JAKARTA, INDONESIA "This is a huge event for Indonesia. The country is welcoming 15,000 athletes with more than 100,000 people expected to watch the games. As all eyes are on the country, the pressure is on for city administrations in Jakarta, Palembang and other parts of West Java to keep the venues of the games clean and especially free of pollution. Silkina Ahluwalia, CGTN, Jakarta."