Bad Air Quality, DPRD Wants Jakarta To Copy Los Angeles Make It Easier To Use Electric Vehicles

Air pollution in DKI Jakarta. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, asked the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to facilitate the use of electric vehicles by the people in the capital city. This, according to Prasetyo, could be one way to reduce air pollution in Jakarta by transitioning oil-fueled vehicles into electric vehicles. One of the facilities that can be provided, according to Prasetyo, is to increase the number of public electric vehicle charging stations (SPKLU) in government offices to public spaces so that vehicles do not run out of battery when used by the community in mobility. "How do people switch to electric cars, the government must be there, meaning to make things easier," said Prasetyo at the DKI Jakarta City Hall, Monday, June 19. "I have tried using the Jakarta-Bandung electric car, to Pondok Gede, only 10 percent. So, try to prevent-obstacles on the road, it doesn't exist," he continued. Prasetyo also asked the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to imitate the policy of the Los Angeles government that makes it easier for electric vehicle users by providing many SPKLUs for free. This was revealed from monitoring during the council's work visit some time ago. "The government in LA gave free charging everywhere. If (SPKLU) it would have been a lot, surely people would have run to electric cars. Because what, in LA the target was already clean air problems," said Prasetyo. The government was aware of the speed up air quality in Jakarta during the dry season. Head of the DKI Jakarta Environment Agency Asep Kuswanto said, the air quality in the capital city will worsen until August. "When entering the dry season in May to August, there will be a decrease in air quality in the DKI Jakarta area which is marked by increasing PM2.5 concentration. This happens because the rainfall and low wind speed result in PM2.5 to be accumulated and buoyant in the air for a long time," said Asep in his statement, Friday, June 16.

The results of PM2.5 concentration monitoring at the air quality monitoring station (SPKU) belonging to the DKI Jakarta LH Service show a diurnal pattern that indicates a difference in patterns between day and night. PM2.5 concentration tends to increase in the early hours of the morning to morning and decrease in the afternoon to evening. "In the late May-early June period, the daily average concentration of PM2.5 was at the level of 47.33- 49.34 erg/m3. During the period from May 21 to June 7, 2023, PM2.5 concentration in the DKI Jakarta area experienced a decrease in air quality and was in the moderate to the unhealthy category," explained Asep.