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Pollution has become less of an urban-only issue. Agricultural burning and forest fires are well recognized as a source of dangerous smog affecting many parts of Asia, compounding the industrial and transport air pollution that is a byproduct of Asia’s export-led economic growth.
The Biggest Environmental Issues
India leads the world in highest pollution-related deaths at 2.5 million, or 24.5% of all deaths in the country. China is second with 1.8 million, or 19.5%, and Pakistan third with 311,000 deaths, or 21.9%.
Pollution is one of the most serious yet easiest problems to overcome because it relies on human actions.
Air pollution is a huge problem across Asia. Photo: AFP The air pollution in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is now so dire that its citizens are threatening to sue the government. In 2017, there were only 14 days when the air quality was classed as safe to breathe.
And two-thirds of worldwide premature deaths due to air pollution occur in Asia and the Pacific. For anyone who has spent time in one of Asia’s megacities, it would be no surprise to learn that road transport is the number one driver of toxic air pollution levels. Southeast Asia is notorious for serious traffic congestion.
Even so, its sanitary landfills are increasingly being operated as unsanitary open dump sites, as authorities are unable to manage and maintain the sanitary landfills’ stricter standards. Needless to say, open dumps bring a wide range of problems to the communities around them, such as groundwater pollution and lingering odour.
Sadly, Jakarta is far from an isolated case. Rapid urbanization across Asia has brought with it a severe public health crisis. Less than 8 percent of the continent’s population is able to breathe air that doesn’t pose a significant risk to their health. And two-thirds of worldwide premature deaths due to air pollution occur in Asia and the Pacific.