Jakarta breathes in crisis as govt scrambles to solve air pollution
The deteriorating air pollution in Greater Jakarta continues to spark public outcries. In the past month alone, the government has scrambled to address the worsening air quality in the capital city, which has been classified as the worst in the world. However, the government’s strategy that focuses on reducing emissions from the transportation sector has been widely criticized as not comprehensive enough to save the city from unhealthy air.1
A Swiss technology company specializing in air quality measurement IQAir has reported that the air quality index in Jakarta for the past month has been among the worst in the world. Last week alone, the index spiked from 155 to 160, or 14 times the tolerable limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo acknowledged the worsening air quality was a result of a combination of the prolonged dry season over the past three months, and emissions from transportation and industrial activities in the region, especially from coal usage in the manufacturing sector.
Jokowi said the government’s strategies to address the severe pollution include weather modification efforts to induce rain, adding new green spaces, and implementing remote work arrangements.2
To implement the President’s policy, acting Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono said he would reintroduce a work-from-home (WFH) system for 40-50 percent of the city’s employees. Additionally, Jakarta would tighten monitoring of environmental building standards and advise owners of cars with 2,400 cubic centimeters or greater engine capacities to shift to higher-octane RON 98 fuel, as well as adding more green places and planting more trees in the capital.
Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the government would enforce stricter emissions controls and expand the rules to the capital’s satellite cities. Emission test, she believes, is an effective way to curb air pollution with an immediate impact.
Siti added that even with the policy already in place, only 3-10 percent of 24.5 million vehicles registered in Jakarta had undergone emissions testing amid a lack of enforcement of penalties for noncompliance. The Jakarta Police reportedly would carry out random checks on vehicles and fine those that failed to undergo emissions testing. According to Siti, the police may revoke the licenses of repeat offenders.
To further enforce this policy, the government is said to have planned to use emissions tests as a requirement for obtaining vehicle registration documents. But the details of when and how the policy would come into effect have yet to be revealed.
In addition, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi proposed a traffic restriction policy called four-in-one, that will require cars traveling on major roads to have at least four passengers. He also suggested that the government will also beef up the campaign for electric vehicles (EVs) and electrification of public transportation in Jakarta.
As air pollution causes respiratory problems, the Environment and Forestry Ministry has set up a task force to tackle the issue. Led by the ministry’s law enforcement director general, the task force will focus on managing air pollution such as identifying sources of pollutants, inspecting areas such as power plants and manufacturing industrial complexes, as well as other measures to prevent and fight air pollution.3
The government’s efforts have been met with skepticism. Committee for the Phasing Out of Leaded Fuel (KPBB) executive director Ahmad Safruddin said long-term measures are needed to combat air pollution, such as a complete shift to renewable energy as an electricity source, higher quality fuels, promotion of public transit and strict law enforcement against polluters.
For Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) pollution and urban campaign coordinator Abdul Ghofar, the push to transition to EVs is a false solution to the air pollution problem. The policy merely amplifies the desire of government officials, especially Coordinating Maritime and Investment Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who offers incentives for every purchase of an EV. According to Abdul, although EVs have lower emissions downstream for transportation modes, the electricity used to charge the vehicles mostly comes from coal-fired power plants.4
WALHI executive director Suci Fitria Tanjung warned the government’s focus on the transportation sector as a main pollutant will negate other sectors. She emphasized that the government’s approach to addressing air pollution in Jakarta seems to overlook other sources of pollution, such as the energy sector. She pointed out that Jakarta is currently surrounded by coal-fired power plants operating within a 100-kilometer radius, which poses the potential for pollution to emanate from these power plants.
However, Director General of Pollution Control and Environmental Damage Control at the Environmental and Forestry Ministry Sigit Reliantoro disagrees. He said the coal-fired power plants around Jakarta are not the main source of the pollution because it is a local emission source. Additionally, according to the government’s records, coal only contributes 0.24 percent of the fuel used by manufacturing industries, as power generation is usually shifted to gas.
According to him, the government has reviewed eight recommendations, including the procurement of electric operational vehicles, stricter emission standards for transportation, electric bus procurement, emission tests, transitioning from private to public transport, electric stove conversion, construction dust control, and banning open waste burning to address the pollution.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry has identified the transportation sector, manufacturing industries, and coal-fired power plants as the sources of air pollution plaguing Jakarta.
Several policies to tackle air pollution include remote work arrangements, and mandatory vehicle emission tests, as well as fines to be imposed on vehicles that do not pass the tests. "Artificial rain cannot be performed due to the prolonged dry season," a high-ranking official involved in pollution control said.
The same official added the government has also asked operators of coal-fired power plants around Jakarta to temporarily stop business. However, the state electricity company PLN objected to this suggestion, citing increased costs and Jakarta’s heavy reliance on the Suralaya coal-fired power plant.
The government initially asked state oil and gas company Pertamina to reduce supplies of Pertalite RON 90 gasoline. But Pertamina rejected this plan, considering it was not pro-people.
Another pollution-control scheme is incentivizing manufacturing industries to use high-quality and low-emission coal. "Until now, many industries prefer low-cost, low-quality coal," according to the source.
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