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Remote working for Jakarta public employees fails to tackle pollution
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Pedestrians cross the street on Oct. 9, 2023, near the Bundaran HI traffic circle in Jakarta. (Ahmad/Bagus Ahmad Rizaldi)
T
he two-month remote working for Jakarta public employees that ended recently was largely ineffective in reducing severe traffic congestion and air pollution in the capital, analysts have said.
The policy instructed civil servants employed by the Jakarta administration to work from home (WFH) from Aug. 21 to Oct. 21, with exceptions for those working in essential sectors such as education and health, in a bid to curb the severe air pollution that has been choking the city in recent months. Acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono has now ordered his subordinates to return to their offices.
The WFH policy was put in place following acute pollution levels that engulfed the city, which topped Swiss company IQAir’s ranking of pollution for almost a week in August, and to mitigate the congestion that might have hindered the 43rd ASEAN Summit in early September.
According to Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo, the average daily traffic volume declined by around 40,000 vehicles from some 6.84 million vehicles to 6.8 million vehicles, or about 0.63 percent, during the implementation of the policy. Morning and evening rush hour traffic on weekdays also decreased by 1.48 percent and 0.46 percent, respectively.
This results would be a source of evaluation for the Jakarta administration to address air pollution, said Heru in a statement last week.
Sporadic policy
Jakarta, home to over 10 million residents, has been grappling with deteriorating air quality, which is mainly caused by the transportation sector followed by industrial activities, according to official data.
