TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Environmental Department (DLH) will sanction six industries strongly accused of creating pollution in the capital city.

Chief of the department's pollution mitigation section Agung Pujo Winarko said the punishment will add the number of the industries that were imposed with sanction for polluting the air.

The six industries spread in North and East Jakarta. "These six industries are big ones," said Agung when met in his office Tuesday, September 24. "They'll be sanctioned with a coercive punishment (repairing the industrial chimney)," Agung added.

He said that his office had previously sanctioned 77 industries for not managing their combustion residue which pollutes the air. In the capital city, there are 114 industries with a total of 1225 industrial chimneys installed.

According to Agung, DLH collected the initial proofs to impose sanction to the six industries. This year, the department will conduct an impromptu inspection to 90 industries allegedly polluting the air. "The six industries violated technical and quality standard aspects which create air pollution."

On August 8, DLH sanctioned three companies in East Jakarta for polluting air through their chimneys. The three firms include PT. Mahkota Indonesia, PT Indonesia Acid Industry and PT. Hong Xin Steel.

Agung said his office will consistently hold the sudden inspection to improve the air quality as a follow up to the Governor Instruction No. 66/2019 on Air Quality Control. "We'll even revoke the permit if the coercive sanctioned is violated by not repairing chimney and the exhaust gas," he remarked.

Imam Hamdi