DPRD Proposes Jakarta To Have Air Pollution Disaster Status, Here's Heru Budi's Response

Acting Governor of DKI Heru Budi Hartono (Diah Ayu-VOI)

JAKARTA - Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono responded to the proposal from the PSI faction of the DKI Jakarta DPRD which asked him to determine the condition of Jakarta's air pollution as a disaster status.

According to Heru, the determination of disaster status on the problems that occur cannot be done immediately. Heru emphasized that this needs to go through considerations and consultations with the central government.

"Yes, it needs to be consulted first," said Heru in North Jakarta, Thursday, September 14.

This proposal was originally expressed by a member of the PSI faction of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, August Hamonangan, in a plenary meeting to convey the general views of the factions on the Raperda regarding the Amendment to the DKI Jakarta Provincial Budget for the 2023 fiscal year which was held on Wednesday, September 13.

August views that the determination of disaster status needs to be done as a serious effort to tackle cases of air pollution that continue to hit Jakarta. Meanwhile, according to him, air pollution often appears from year to year without any significant programs.

"We ask that there be concrete actions from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to make the air pollution prevention program a priority issue. If possible, air pollution can be designated as a disaster," August said.

Furthermore, August assesses that air pollution in DKI Jakarta can be categorized as a serious health threat, as a city with the worst air quality in the world, this air quality crisis must be declared an emergency air pollution disaster.

According to him, the determination of disaster status in air pollution has become an emergency because of a series of events that threaten and disrupt people's lives.

With the determination of this disaster status, the budget for air pollution prevention can be removed from unexpected expenditures (BTT).

Moreover, in the 2023 KUA-PPAS amendment document, the budget for the pollution prevention program and/or environmental damage to the DKI Environmental Agency has decreased.

"For the record, the BTT budget has not yet realized its absorption. So that with a budget allocation of Rp600 billion as budgeted for the 2023 KUA-PPAS changes, it will be very useful if allocated for air pollution prevention, including for public health checks affected by air pollution such as checking for ISPA for the community," he added.