Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, experienced its worst air quality this June. The government is still working on tackling the issue, as many people are complaining of health problems. Research found that Indonesia generally has only 29 to 36 days a year of healthy air quality. CGTN's Silkina Ahluwalia has more from Jakarta. 

Jakarta is no stranger to hazy skies. As more vehicles cram into the city's jammed roads, air quality has taken a turn for the worse. A recent study shows that Jakarta had the worst air quality globally in the past month. Indonesia's air quality monitoring system can only measure particles equal to 10 micrometers. However, experts say the government should monitor PM2.5 levels that contain harmful chemical components.

BONDAN ARIYANU ENERGY CAMPAIGNER, GREENPEACE INDONESIA "We are still using the standard which is out of date. So the standard of air quality is the standard that was used in 1997 to 1999. It's very old standard and needs to be revised considering the way the government protect the people from breathing unhealthy air. Because if you are going to protect the people, you should have strong standard and strong mitigation."

Greenpeace Indonesia found that air quality in Jakarta was considered unhealthy for as many as 250 days in 2018. Dr Budi Haryanto has been studying the health effects of environmental pollution for more than 20 years.

BUDI HARYANTO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA "PM10 articles can enter through our nose into our respiratory systems causing mild illnesses. Particles PM2.5 are the ones that can enter our lungs making us suffer from asthma and pneumonia. Even worst are the gases emitted by vehicles such as nitrogen dioxide. Those can cause heart problems and spread into our bloodstreams causing serious diseases."

Transportation remains the main source of pollution in Indonesia's big cities.

SILKINA AHLUWALIA JAKARTA, INDONESIA "Jakarta's Environment Agency say they're committed to reduce air pollution in the city. Recently, they introduced the 'Jakarta Cleaner Air 2030' roadmap. It aims to improve public transportation, expand the city's car-free areas and promote eco-friendly fuel."

The agency also promised to add more green spaces by planting trees to help absorb the unhealthy pollutants. Silkina Ahluwalia, CGTN, Jakarta.