Jakarta's Air Quality Ranks Among World's Worst, Governor Cites Power Plants

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has acknowledged that the Indonesian capital is among the cities with the worst air quality globally, a problem that has persisted despite the provincial government's efforts.

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Now, yesterday Jakarta, as you know, was number five, but it is indeed the worst in the world, and I have to admit that.

The administration has prioritized the development of public transportation, successfully increasing its usage to over 31 percent from around 23 percent. This connectivity improvement aims to reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

However, Baswedan admitted that these measures have not fully resolved the air pollution crisis. He pointed to other contributing factors, such as industrial emissions from surrounding areas, specifically mentioning the Suralaya coal-fired power plant as a source of "unfriendly" fuel combustion.

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There are other issues, for example, industrial combustion in the vicinity of Jakarta, one of which is famously Suralaya, which uses fuel that is still not environmentally friendly.

To tackle the issue, the Jakarta provincial government plans to coordinate with the central government. Baswedan expressed hope that joint efforts would lead to better regulation of activities that contribute to high emission levels, ultimately improving the city's air quality.

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So that with this, I as the Governor of Jakarta hope that there will also be coordination with the central government so that those who contribute to high emissions can be regulated together.