Greenpeace Questions Jokowi's Claims on 'Very Fresh' Air Quality in New Capital

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bondan Andriyanu, the Greenpeace Indonesia Climate and Energy Campaigner, responded to President Joko Widodo or Jokowi's claim that the air quality in Nusantara Capital City or IKN is “very fresh and clean.” 

Bondan said on Tuesday that Kalimantan often faces forest fires, one of the contributing factors to air pollution. 

Previously, the President said the air quality index in IKN was 6, better compared to other countries' capitals like Singapore which recorded 53 at the index. "The air is very fresh and clean, good for health,” he said. 

Furthermore, Bondan questioned whether the public can access the air monitoring devices in IKN. "How can we report the good or bad effects if there’s no scientific baseline data used?" he said. Therefore, he suspected that Jokowi's statement was just a mere claim.

According to him, there was no air monitoring device in IKN based on Ministry of Environment and Forestry data on its website. "We see that there’s no air monitoring device we can access at IKN."

On the ministry’s Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU), said Bondan, the air quality in Sepinggan District, Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, as of Tuesday, August 13, 2024, was at 35. It’s a good number, but only represented Balikpapan and not the new capital city. "So where is the data reference for IKN’s good air quality?” he said.

Additionally, Bondan warned the government that the air quality index is not adequate to address the root causes of air pollution. “The air pollution in Jakarta must be a learning point for IKN,” he said. 

Therefore, concrete intergovernmental cooperation to tackle air pollution and air monitoring device installation are necessary to combat the issue. "Jakarta alone needs 43 air monitoring devices. How many are going to be installed in IKN?” he concluded. 

IKHSAN RELIUBUN

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