The DKI Provincial Government Is Considered Not Serious In Overcoming Jakarta Air Pollution

Illustration of air pollution in Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government claims to continue to make efforts to suppress air pollution in Jakarta. However, until now there has not been a significant change in the results of handling air pollution.

Entering the dry season today, Jakarta is again one of the cities with the highest air pollution rates in the world, based on the IQAir air quality monitoring site.

The DKI Jakarta Environmental Agency's air quality monitoring station (SPKU) also recorded unhealthy air quality at several points.

"This condition shows that there has been no significant change in the handling of Jakarta's air pollution," said DKI Jakarta Environmental Wahana (Walhi) activist Muhammad Aminullah to reporters, Thursday, June 20.

According to Aminullah, efforts to control air pollution by the DKI Provincial Government have not prioritized controlling the root of the problem, such as tightening regulations on limiting motor vehicle emissions, monitoring of smoke pollution from industry, to burning waste.

This has caused the impact of air pollution in Jakarta to not be successfully suppressed.

"As long as the government does not address the problem of upstream air pollution, it means that the government is not serious about dealing with air pollution. That is what is happening today. The government is busy reducing downstream air pollution, through water investors for example," Aminullah explained.

On that occasion, Aminullah also criticized the response of the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, who assessed that air pollution did not only occur in Jakarta, but throughout the world.

"This statement is dangerous and should not be said by city leaders. It also shows that heru has no vision of making Jakarta better than other cities in the world in terms of handling air pollution. It should be," he said.

Previously, Heru Budi Hartono responded to the condition of Jakarta's air quality which returned badly in the current dry season. According to him, not only Jakarta has experienced air pollution.

"Yes, first, the world is like that, all (polluted) pollution," said Heru when met at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery (TMP), South Jakarta, Wednesday, June 19.

However, Heru claims that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government continues to prepare steps to reduce the number of air pollution. One of them is by installing a watersmanist or spraying water from high-rise buildings.

"DKI has a watersman, later there will be restrictions on vehicles, emission tests," he said.