As the Asian Games opening ceremony edges closer, the Indonesian government is making their final preparations. Indonesia is no stranger to hosting the games, having hosted it back in 1962 but this time it’s different and the country is facing a new set of challenges.

Traffic congestion in Jakarta is considered one of the world’s worst and the city administration has long struggled with cleaning up its air quality. In a city of 10 million people, experts say it is difficult for the administration to control the amount of people, cars and motorcycles that frequent its roads daily.

Jakarta’s air quality continues to worsen. Recently, its Air Quality Index reached as high as 170, a level that medical professionals consider harmful for people.

“Anything above 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 center 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," said Zaini Saragih, a doctor from the National Jakarta University.

The World Health Organization has also voiced concern saying that Jakarta’s air quality is unsafe and can lead to an array of illnesses ranging from lung infections to breathing difficulties and even as serious as cancer.

The problem doesn’t only stop in Jakarta. The games’ second venue, Palembang in South Sumatra is also at risk with hot spots likely to flare up following the hot and dry season.

Those issues have pushed the Ministry of Environment to take strict measures to make significant changes to both of the cities that are hosting the games.

“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,” said Ali Maulana from the Jakarta Environment Agency.

Those modifications are inspired by the same changes Beijing made back in 2008 as it was preparing for the Olympics. The Indonesian government is using that experience to curb traffic and close factories as well to improve Jakarta's air quality to ensure a comfortable experience for both athletes and audiences.