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Govt scrambles to curb Jakarta air pollution
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo convened a limited meeting with several ministers and regional leaders on Monday to discuss short- and long-term strategies to tackle the issue of air pollution in the capital.
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People take pictures of Jakarta from a high-rise building on June 6, 2023. The capital’s Air Quality Index score of 157 at the time was 13.4 times higher than the level the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he government is rushing to address Greater Jakarta’s perennial air pollution problem amid a public outcry over worsening air quality in the region in recent weeks.
Jakarta has consistently ranked among the 10 most polluted cities in the world since May. But last week, it topped global charts compiled by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, sparking heated debate.
In response, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo convened a limited meeting with several ministers and regional leaders on Monday to discuss short- and long-term strategies to tackle the issue.
“On Sunday, the Air Quality Index in Jakarta reached 156, which falls in the ‘unhealthy’ category,” Jokowi said prior to the meeting. That score is about 13 times higher than the level the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe.
The President has blamed the deteriorating air quality in the nation’s capital largely on the prolonged dry season, which has exacerbated the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions.
Jakarta is situated in the vicinity of 16 coal-fired power plants and remains one of the most gridlocked cities in Southeast Asia.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that most regions of Indonesia will face a longer and more severe dry season this year compared to the previous three years as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which is expected to peak in August or September.
