Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) underscored the need to apply a hybrid working system to reduce air pollution in Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) that had hit a very bad category in the last week.”If needed, we must encourage many offices to implement hybrid working consisting of work from office and work from home. After this limited meeting, we can convey a decision regarding working hours whether it is 7-5, 2-5, or others,” the president noted at a limited meeting on air pollution at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday. The head of state pointed out that the air quality in Jabodetabek was very bad over the past week. On August 12, the air quality in Jakarta was recorded at 156 or in the unhealthy category. ccording to Jokowi, the long dry season and the use of energy sources from coal are the factors causal to the poor air quality in Jabodetabek. “The long dry season for the past three months has led to an increase in high pollutant concentrations and emissions from transportation and industrial activities in Jabodetabek, especially those that use coal in the manufacturing industry,” he remarked. In the short term, the president also ordered related ministries and non-ministerial government agencies (K/L) to intervene in improving the air quality in Jabodetabek. He outlined that these interventions included weather engineering to induce rainfall in the Jabodetabek area and implementing regulations to accelerate the implementation of emission limits, especially in the Jabodetabek area. Jokowi also ordered to increase the number of green open spaces (RTH) in the Jabodetabek area and requested a budget for the provision of RTH to be immediately prepared. In the medium term, the government will consistently implement policies to reduce the use of fossil-based vehicles and switch to mass transportation, while for the long term, climate change mitigation and adaptation actions should be strengthened, according to Jokowi. “Supervision must be carried out in the industrial and power generation sectors, especially around Jabodetabek. We must also educate the public (to reduce emissions),” he emphasized.
Source: Antara News Agency