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Jakartans skeptical of Pramono’s plan to address air pollution
With a new governor on the horizon, Jakarta's citizens are doubtful, as the incoming leaders bring neither new nor revolutionary efforts to tackle air pollution.
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Mask up: Two women take a selfie while wearing face masks on Oct. 1, 2023, in Jakarta amid air pollution. Jakarta was named the world’s most polluted city several times throughout 2023 by various air quality monitoring groups. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
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n the last weeks of 2024, Jakarta received a bright gift of clear blue sky, an unusual sighting in a city often covered by choking smog that made the country’s capital the world’s most polluted city. But the clear horizon may not last long, as it depends on the weather and wind that may change.
Jakartans’ hope for a sustainable less-polluted sky may rest with the city’s new leaders, governor-elect Pramono Anung and deputy governor-elect Rano Karno, who will step into office in the coming week. But the city’s residents have little hope that the pair will realize their campaign promises to push for effective efforts to curb air pollution.
The megapolitan’s sky has been covered in haze from various sources within and beyond the city’s border, such as coal power plants and exhaust gases from motor vehicles, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’s (CREA) analysis.
The pollution has cost Jakartans their health, with pollutants triggering health problems – from respiratory infections to skin disorders like eczema – and increased risk for conditions such as autism. A 2023 study revealed that air pollution was linked to over 10,000 deaths and more than 5,000 hospitalizations each year in the city, on top of hundreds of cases of infant death and adverse birth outcomes.
Such a situation prompted gubernatorial candidates running for the November election to make air pollution a part of their campaign agendas.
Ahead of the poll, Pramono and Rano listed some programs they are offering to relieve the pollution, including building more park-and-ride facilities near public transit networks, increasing green open spaces across the city to 30 percent and opening more bus routes connecting Jakarta to its satellite cities.
