Worse than Jakarta: Sydney to choke through weekend haze

Bushfire smoke that has shrouded Sydney for days looks set to continue through the weekend as health experts continue to issue ‘hazardous’ warnings for asthma sufferers. The haze has sent our air pollution rate skyrocketing past the world’s worst cities.

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Smoky skies above Sydney aren’t expected to clear until the end of the weekend as fires continue to burn across NSW.

Seventy fires were burning across the state, 44 of which were uncontained on Thursday evening with most of NSW facing high to very high fire conditions on Friday.

Fires burning on the state’s mid-north coast, which are believed to have killed at least 350 koalas, sent haze south to Sydney and as far as Bowral.

Sydney Tower almost disappeared in the haze. Picture: Rohan Kelly

The haze resulted in the Department of Environment again forecasting air quality in Sydney would again be “poor” on Friday due to particles.

People with a chronic respiratory or heart condition are encouraged to stay indoors.

The department’s air quality index on Thursday showed parts of the lower Hunter, upper Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney and Illawarra are rated as “hazardous”.

At a level of 328 micrograms of pollution particulates per cubic metre of air in Macquarie Park, and 336 in Liverpool, Sydney’s air quality­ yesterday was worse than that of Jakarta.

The Indonesian capital, which earlier this year hit record­ levels of air pollution to become the world’s smoggiest city, yesterday sat at 112 micrograms of particulates.

Some people took to wearing face masks as they ventured out into the smoke-filled air. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Some northern areas of the state and the city hit “hazardous” levels greater than 300 micrograms per cubic metre, while the Illawarra and southwest was “very poor” or “poor” at 200 micrograms per cubic metre or more. Levels of 200 micrograms per cubic metre can increase the health risk for heart disease, stroke and respiratory disease.

In the 1952 Great Smog of London — one of the world’s worst instances of air pollution which killed 4000 people — air pollution was 1600 micrograms/cubic metre.

London’s air pollution level yesterday­ was just 91, and the notoriously smoggy Asian cities­ of Shanghai and Mumbai were 155 and 74 respectively.

Planes landing at Sydney Airport were barely visible through the haze. Picture: John Grainger

The Bureau of Meteorology says the smoky conditions are likely to continue until late Sunday or early Monday as winds from the north and northeast push the smoke south.

Asthma Australia CEO Michele­ Goldman said smoky air can aggravate the lungs, increasing­ the risk of asthma attacks which can sometimes be fatal.

Research has found a 19 per cent increase in asthma emergencies and hospitalisations when smoke was in the air.

Construction workers carry on as smoke haze drifts over the CBD in Sydney. Picture: AAP

“There are times when we see increases and certainly when we have high smoke days that is one of those times,” Ms Goldman said.

NSW Health environmental health director Richard Broome said people with heart or respiratory conditions should also be wary. “It’s im­portant­ to avoid outdoor physical activity as much as you can and follow your disease management plan,” he said.

A total fire ban is in place for NSW on Friday.