Buildings are seen in the haze caused by the air pollution in Jakarta on August 9. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Jakarta – Indonesia's capital Jakarta has become the world's most polluted major city on August 10 while it has ranked among the ten most polluted cities globally since May, according to data by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.

During the past week, Jakarta and its surroundings which form a megalopolis of about 30 million people has outpaced other heavily polluted cities including Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, Qatar’s Doha, and Pakistan’s Lahore for its concentration of tiny particles known as PM2.5 which can penetrate airways to cause respiratory problems.

Earlier this week, President Joko Widodo said that he plans to tackle pollution levels by reducing "Jakarta's burden" as the country prepares to move its capital to Nusantara on Borneo island next year.

In addition, the metro train network across Jakarta must be finished to help reduce pollution.

Previously, Indonesia has pledged to stop building new coal-fired power plants from 2023 and to be carbon neutral by 2050.
According to Greenpeace Indonesia, ten coal-fired power plants are operating within a 100-kilometer radius of the capital.