With the Asian Games less than a month away, the Jakarta administration is attempting to reduce the air and water pollution that has plagued the capital for years.

The city administration is concerned about the potential impact polluted air could have on the performance of athletes.

Jakarta Environment Agency head Isnawa Adji said the levels of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO) and hydrocarbons (HC) in parts of the capital had decreased after the implementation of the odd-even traffic policy — which was designed to reduce traffic congestion — on 10 major roads.

An air quality meter at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta showed that the level of CO had decreased by 1.7 percent. The levels of NO and HC have also decreased by 14.7 percent and 1.37 percent, respectively.

Air quality meters in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, and Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, also showed signs of improvement, Isnawa said.

However, the level of Particulate Matter (PM) 10 in the air remains high because of the ongoing MRT and light rapid transit (LRT) construction and the sidewalk renovation along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

“The renovation will be temporarily stopped during the Asian Games. Therefore, PM10 will not be a problem during the event,” Isnawa said.

The agency is also set to launch an application called “E-Uji Emisi” (emission test) to encourage motorists to take their cars to garages for emissions tests before the commencement of the Asian Games.

Through the app, drivers will be able to register for the test and find garages that provide the service. Currently, there are 218 garages across the city that are certified to do emissions tests.

The agency has also delivered letters to factories in East, West and North Jakarta asking them to reduce their emissions during the quadrennial event.

Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) secretary general Eris Herryanto said the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had yet to raise any concerns about the city’s air quality.

INASGOC appreciated the city’s efforts to reduce pollution ahead of the event, Eris added.

Committee for the Phasing Out of Leaded Fuel (KPBB) head Ahmad Safrudin said severe pollution could prevent athletes from performing at their best and setting new records.

He suggested that Jakarta should conduct emissions checks and sanction drivers whose vehicles exceeded the emissions standards.

“The city administration should ensure the areas around Asian Games venues are ‘low-emission zones’ and limit the number of vehicles that can enter. It should also ban trucks from entering the zones during the event,” he said.

The city administration is also attempting to clean up a heavily polluted river situated less than 10 meters from the athletes village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

The river has been covered with a giant black net amid concern the smell will disturb foreign athletes.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said on Tuesday that the river, which has been polluted for years, was covered to reduce the foul smell that emanated from it.

“We will continue cleaning the river. If you ask residents that live near the river, they say it’s not as smelly as it was in the past,” he said.

Jakarta Water Management Agency head Teguh Hendrawan said the agency would reduce the smell by using aerators and would clean the water using nanobubble technology.

In the long term, Anies said the city administration would clean all polluted rivers and treat wastewater by adding communal wastewater treatment plants (IPAL) throughout the city.

The city administration had only set up 10 communal IPALs per year, which was insufficient, Anies said.

The city administration would also issue a regulation to control domestic waste, Anies added.

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