Jakarta, the bustling capital of Indonesia, has been designated as the world's most polluted city, according to a recent report by Swiss air quality technology firm, IQAir.
The city, home to over 10 million inhabitants, has been persistently listed among the top ten most polluted cities globally since May, with air pollution levels reaching unhealthy levels almost daily.
In a bid to address this pressing issue, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has proposed a radical solution - the relocation of the capital city to Nusantara. "One solution is to reduce the burden on Jakarta so that some of it will later be moved to Nusantara. And the mass transportation is a must," Widodo stated in a press briefing last week.
The Indonesian government plans to officially designate Nusantara as the new capital next year, with an estimated 16,000 civil servants, military, and police personnel expected to make the move. This decision comes in response to long-standing complaints from Jakarta residents about the city's toxic air quality. In 2021, a group of residents won a civil lawsuit demanding government action to control air pollution.
The court ruling mandated President Widodo to establish national air quality standards to safeguard public health. Additionally, it ordered the health minister and the governor of Jakarta to develop strategies for air pollution control.
Indonesia, the fourth most populous country globally, is currently in its dry season, a period typically associated with peak air pollution levels. Motorized vehicles contribute significantly to the pollution, with data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry indicating that transportation accounts for 44% of air pollution. Industry, on the other hand, contributes 31%.
The Jakarta Health Agency has reported an uptick in health issues linked to air pollution this year, compared to 2022. "It is increased compared to 2022. And it is almost the same condition we found in 2019 and 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic," said Dwi Oktavia, head of disease prevention and control at the Jakarta Health Agency.
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