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Doing nothing for air pollution violates human rights, Komnas HAM says
The commission said human rights violations included negligence that led to rights deprivation.
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Smog blankets Jakarta’s skyscrapers on Aug.19. Air pollution in the city is among the worst in the world. (JP/Donny Fernando)
T
he government has violated human rights, as it is seemingly not taking the plummeting air quality in Jakarta and other regions seriously, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has assessed.
Komnas HAM’s planning, internal monitoring and partnership bureau head, Esrom Hamonangan, said human rights violations included negligence that led to rights deprivation.
“You name it; the severe air pollution in the capital, the haze-belching fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan,” he said in a discussion with the Committee for the Phasing Out of Leaded Fuel (KPBB) on Thursday. “While in fact, the law states that every citizen has the right to live in a clean and healthy environment.”
Article 9 of the Human Rights Law says “Everyone has the right to an adequate and healthy environment.” While according to the Environment Law, everyone shall be entitled to a proper and healthy environment as part of human rights.
The Preamble to the 1945 Constitution clearly says the state pledges to “protect all people of Indonesia” and “to improve public welfare.’ However, according to Esrom, the government has unfortunately failed to fulfill its promises.
In Sumatra and Kalimantan, forest fires have blanketed the provinces with smog for weeks and affected the health of thousands or people. A 4-month-old named Elsa Fitaloka died of pneumonia and meningitis, which was allegedly caused by haze particles that served as a medium to spread bacteria.
While in Jakarta, air quality has been repeatedly ranked among the worst in the world according to AirVisual. People are urged to wear masks and switch from using private vehicles to mass transportation modes but the government has not done much to control the source of the problem.
