Jakarta's Air Quality Is Again The Worst In The World, PDIP: Anies Is More Focused On His Candidate

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Jakarta is again the city with the worst air quality in the world this morning. The poor air quality in Jakarta has been recorded for the past few days.

This morning, the air quality data agency IQ Air ranked Jakarta as the most polluted city with an air quality index of 173 on Monday, June 20 as of 09.35 WIB.

Seeing this condition, member of the PDIP faction of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Gilbert Simanjuntak, said that Anies was more focused on planning the affairs of the presidential nomination for the 2024 election rather than tackling air quality improvements in the capital.

"When Jakarta's air experiences the heaviest pollution in the world, Anies' focus seems to be more on the presidential election. In fact, the presidential election is still on February 14, 2024, and Anies is still in office until October 16, 2022," Gilbert said in his statement, Monday, June 20.

Gilbert said, this very dangerous air pollution clearly must be overcome. This is because this has an impact on the health of the entire population of Jakarta.

Should, continued Gilbert, data on the increase in cases of respiratory disorders had been detected because it had been going on for more than 2 weeks. This should also have been conveyed by the DKI Provincial Government.

Gilbert also asked Anies and his staff to intensify education to the public to reduce private vehicles and wear masks when leaving the house. The DKI Provincial Government also needs to evaluate the policies that have been implemented.

"An odd-even policy that is extended to 26 lanes should be evaluated, because although it is claimed to reduce congestion, in fact pollution increases," said Gilbert.

"There is no need to organize words to explain the causes and other things, but what is needed is action. Jakarta needs leaders, not officials. A leader should work with his heart for the people, not be told," he continued.

Launching from the official website of IQ Air in Jakarta, the air quality of the capital city is categorized as unhealthy because the concentration of PM2.5 is currently 27.4 times the annual air quality guideline value of the World Health Organization (WHO). The concentration of PM2.5 in Jakarta is at 136.9 grams per cubic meter.

PM2.5 refers to certain microscopic materials with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, with various detrimental effects on human health and the environment, and therefore is one of the main pollutants used in calculating the air quality of a city or country as a whole.

Based on the BMKG analysis, the high PM2.5 concentration in Jakarta is influenced by various emission sources, both from local sources, such as transportation and residential areas, as well as from regional sources from industrial areas close to Jakarta.

In addition, the movement of air pollutants such as PM2.5 is influenced by wind patterns that move from one location to another. Winds carrying PM2.5 from emission sources can move to other locations, causing a potential increase in PM2.5 concentrations.

Another factor that affects the increase in PM2.5 comes from the high humidity of the air which causes an increase in the adsorption process or changes in state from gas to particles. This process causes an increase in the concentration of PM2.5 which is facilitated by the water content in the air.