Jakarta – Vice-president Commission IX DPR RI Charles Honoris reminded the government not to focus on fighting air pollution in the short term, but to develop long-term plans to protect society from polluted air. Especially for the DKI Jakarta region, given that the capital is still one of the major cities with the worst air pollution in Indonesia.
Air quality monitoring site IQAir this morning ranked Jakarta as the most polluted major city in the world. The air in Jakarta is said to be unhealthy. Judging from the IQAir website, Tuesday (19/9/2023) at 09:30 WIB, Jakarta’s air quality index is 165. The main pollutant is PM 2.5.
“The ranking of Jakarta as the most polluted large city in the world on Tuesday morning, based on IQAir data, sounded the signal of a ‘danger’ for the health of residents of the capital and its surroundings,” he said. Charles said in a written statement Tuesday. 19/9/2023). Charles said contamination from sources of air pollution (PM 2.5), which is already 16.6 times higher than WHO standards, would lead to various dangerous diseases.
DKI Jakarta is known to be the first most polluted city in the world ahead of Dubai, Kuching, Riyadh and Ho Chi Minh. IQAir even advises Jakarta residents to wear masks when outside, as the capital’s pollution is very worrying.
Based on this, Charles believes that the regulations currently in place to combat air pollution in DKI Jakarta are not optimal. One of them is the Work from Home (WFH) policy which has been implemented for some time in the DKI Provincial Government.
“This danger sign cannot be resolved solely through sporadic methods such as WFH regulations and calls for tree planting. “However, this must be done in a comprehensive and sustainable way, in particular through a roadmap that involves various political actors to participate together in a massive way in the reduction of pollutants,” explained Charles.
The DKI Provincial Government has implemented a WFH policy to respond to high levels of air pollution. Apart from this, there is also an emissions ticket policy for vehicles found to be non-compliant. Then there is also the policy of expanding odd networks and increasing the use of public transport.
Recently, the DKI Provincial Government also implemented a strategy to reduce air pollution by spraying water on several roads in the capital. However, Charles believes that the central government should participate in monitoring the development of the DKI Provincial Government’s policies in reducing air pollution. “The president must not appear resigned to this air pollution problem,” stressed the legislator from the DKI Jakarta III electoral district.
“But you must hold the main command by creating a road map and getting all policy makers to implement it. “As well as exercising oversight, including strictly enforcing the law,” Charles continued.
Charles stressed that the government’s success in reducing air pollution should be felt by the public. Charles also regretted that although many policies have been made for DKI, the air quality in the capital remains the most polluted in the world.
“The success or failure of combating air pollution is something that can be seen and felt directly by community members. “As the president said, many people in Jakarta are coughing because of the air pollution,” he said.
According to data from the DKI Jakarta Health Department, it is known that the number of people infected with ISPA in Jakarta in 2024 will be 638,291 cases. This figure is a cumulative data from January to June 2023. “This means that if many people in Jakarta are still coughing, it means that the government’s management of air pollution is still far from successful,” Charles concluded.
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