Moneeze Bernardo
- Eleven of the cities in Southeast Asia with the cleanest air are in the Philippines
- Calamba and Laguna takes top spot in the list, says 2018 Air Quality Report
- PH got a “moderate” rating under the Air Quality Index (AQI) with an average of 14.6 µg/m³ of PM2.5 concentration, places 48th among 73 countries
A Greenpeace report revealed Tuesday that eleven cities in the Philippines were among the metros with the cleanest air in Southeast Asia.
The 2018 Air Quality Report from Switzerland-based IQ AirVisual and Greenpeace ranked Calamba, Laguna and Valenzuela City, Metro Manila as the top cities in Southeast Asia with the cleanest air.
The study based its ranking from cleanest to dirtiest city on air quality data derived from “public monitoring sources” that include government monitoring networks, private individuals, and organizations in 73 countries.
The said report looked at measurements of fine particles known as PM2.5, which can penetrate into the airways to cause respiratory problems. It also gave health recommendations for sensitive individuals to avoid outdoor activities in such areas that may cause respiratory symptoms.
Calamba City in Laguna capped first place with an average of 9.3 PM2.5 last year. But it should be noted that not all cities in the country were included in the report, due to the absence or lack of data on their air quality.
The following cities below are among those that have the cleanest air in the Southeast Asia region:
- Calamba City
- Valenzuela City
- Carmona City
- Parañaque City
- Davao City
- Makati City
- Manila
- Mandaluyong
- Balanga
- Quezon City
- Las Piñas City
“Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our future, but we can change that. In addition to human lives lost, there’s an estimated global cost of 225 billion dollars in lost labor and trillions in medical costs. This has enormous impact on our health and on our wallets,” said Yeb Sano, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
The report also identified the sources of pollution in Southeast Asia, which vary between urban and rural areas—from biomass burning to vehicular emissions and transportation. According to the study, “There is strong correlation between urbanization and air pollution in this region.”
The Philippines fared better than its neighboring countries Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which had higher particulate matter concentrations.
Jakarta in Indonesia and Hanoi in Vietnam, on the other hand, are the most polluted cities in Southeast Asia, while India dominated the list of world’s most polluted cities. Iceland was considered the cleanest with 5 µg/m³ pollutant concentration.
