COVID-19; Work from Home Improves Jakarta's Air Quality
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25 March 2020 15:00 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta’s Environment Agency has noted improvements in Jakarta’s air quality since the implementation of the ‘Work from Home’ (WFH) policy.
“Jakarta’s air quality has improved in the past few days. This (the improvement) cannot be separated from the implementation of social distancing policies by working from home or WFH," said Chief of Jakarta’s Health Agency, Andono Warih in his written statement, Thursday, March 24, 2020.
Andono added that other factors that helped in improving Jakarta’s air quality in the past few days include rainfall and wind direction, as rain in the Jabodetabek (Greater Jakarta) area, aided by the wind, helped clean air pollution.
Based on the monitoring done in Jakarta’s Environment Agency five Air Quality Monitoring Stations (SPKU), Andono added, the results show improvement in air quality, especially in the decreased concentration of PM 2.5 parameters or fine dust particles measuring 25 micrograms/ m³.
According to Andono, the decrease is also inversely related with rainfall, whereby the PM 2.5 parameters would decrease in high rainfall, and increase in the absence of it.
President Joko Widodo has previously announced the policies to work from home, study at home, and performing religious worship at home.
The acts of limiting social interaction are taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia. The government persists in maintaining that the social distancing policies will be implemented in conjunction with the rapid test, without imposing a lockdown.
TAUFIQ SIDDIQ | DIO SUHENDA (INTERN TRANSLATOR)
