A “severe” air quality warning is currently in force in Macao. This means that the city’s Air Quality Index has reached at least 301 – a level at which sensitive population groups, such as pregnant women and the elderly, are advised to avoid outdoor activities completely. Members of the general public are urged to limit outdoor exposure.
According to Macao’s Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (known as the SMG after its Portuguese initials), the concentration of air pollutants is the result of dust associated with the northeast monsoon, exacerbated by poor diffusion conditions
Air quality level is expected to remain between a “very bad” or “severe” level today. The latter is the second highest warning in Macao’s air quality index system, exceeded only by “harmful.”
[See more: How toxic is Macao’s air?]
Roadside and ambient pollution is expected to be especially dire, reaching 330 on the index, the SMG says.
Macao’s Air Quality Index is based on the data obtained from automatic monitoring stations around the territory, compiling data on suspended particulates (PM10), fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.
Swiss-based air quality firm IQ Air’s 2024 World Air Quality Report recently placed Macao at 52 out of 138 cities, making its air dirtier than other Asian places such as Hong Kong and Singapore, which were positioned in 63rd and 94th place.
