Jakarta’s air quality is terrible – and Indonesia’s President Widodo is among those to blame

The president is among the seven officials who have been found guilty of environmental negligence over air pollution in the capital

According to a court ruling, Widodo is now required to take serious action, including setting adequate national ambient air quality standards

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Smog in Jakarta’s city centre in 2018. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:42pm, 16 Sep 2021Updated: 8:20pm, 16 Sep 2021

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo is among the seven officials found guilty by a Jakarta court of environmental negligence over air pollution in the capital.

In a civil lawsuit, the Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday ruled that Widodo must set adequate national ambient air quality standards “to protect the people’s health, the environment, and the ecosystem”, though it dismissed a claim the defendants had violated a human right for health, including clean air.

The standard for annual ambient air quality is 10 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre of air, according to the World Health Organization, while Indonesia’s national standard is 15 micrograms.

Judge Saifuddin Zahri also granted the plaintiff’s demand that serious action be taken by the president and the other defendants – the environment and forestry, interior, and health ministers, as well as the governors of Jakarta, West Java, and Banten.

They will now have to create a number of strict regulations on air quality, particularly Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, who was told to sanction individuals or businesses that do not meet the emissions quality standard; monitor the implementation of the ban against outdoor burning of rubbish; and conduct periodic emissions tests on old vehicles.