Jakarta's Air Quality Is No Longer Healthy For Sensitive Groups

Pollution Jakarta (photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The air quality of the City of Jakarta is noted to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, so they are advised to wear masks when they are outside the home, as stated on the IQAir page with an update at 05.00 WIB, Monday.

Quoting Antara, IQAir noted that Jakarta's air quality is at 112 points with a concentration level of PM 2.5 pollutants of 39.8 micrograms per cubic meter or eight times higher the annual air quality guide value of the World Health Organization (WHO).

PM 2.5 is a 2.5-micrometer smaller particle found in the air including dust, smoke and jelaga. This particle exposure in the long term is associated with early death, especially in people who have chronic heart or lung disease.

Health recommendations related to the current air quality for sensitive groups other than wearing masks, also avoid outdoor activities, closing windows in order to avoid dirty outside air, and turning on air filters.

Jakarta's air quality is recorded to be in second-worst place in Indonesia, after South Tangerang; Banten with 118 points.

Meanwhile, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov) encourages concrete cooperation with buffer areas to jointly reduce emissions, especially from the industrial sector whose activities also affect the air in Jakarta.

Another effort is also made, namely law enforcement against heavy vehicles that do not pass the emission test. This effort, said the DKI Provincial Government, is a tangible form of our seriousness in maintaining air quality.

In the future, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will expand the implementation of emission and prosecution tests for N and O category vehicles as part of the commitment to create a clean, healthy, and sustainable Jakarta.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has conducted free emission tests on 1,692,618 four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles from 2020 to 2024.

Of this number, 1,544,773 are four-wheeled vehicles. While the rest, namely 147,845 are two-wheeled vehicles.

The graduation rate for tested four-wheeled vehicles reached 98.2 percent, while two-wheeled vehicles were 82.3 percent.

Emission tests are carried out to measure public compliance, especially motor vehicle owners related to the feasibility of burning vehicle engines and the resulting pollutants.

On the other hand, the government wants to build awareness of residents about their contribution to air quality conditions.