JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged Jakarta residents to plant as many trees as possible in the city to lower air pollution.
“I invite all of us to rehabilitate the forest and plant as many trees as possible in our environment, especially in the city of Jakarta, where there are fewer trees and more vehicles that cause pollution,” he said here on Monday.
At the Summit of the 2023 Environment, Climate, Forestry, New Renewable Energy (LIKE) Festival, he observed that many people in Jakarta are experiencing coughing due to air pollution.
He also urged cyclists to wear masks to reduce exposure to air pollution.
“Those who cycle, be careful, if you are cycling, wear a mask,” he advised.
On Monday morning, Jakarta ranked third among cities with poor air quality, according to IQAir.
Jakarta’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 149 or unhealthy with a PM2.5 concentration of 55.2 micrograms per cubic metre, based on IQAir data as of 6:30 a.m. on Monday.
According to the head of state, the government has initiated several efforts to restore the environment and anticipate climate change.
The government has built a nursery in Rumpin, Bogor District, West Java, he said.
The Rumpin seedling nursery can produce up to six million tree seedlings per year.
“The damage to the environment has caused many landslides. We opened a nursery in Rumpin because many landslides occurred in West Java,” Jokowi said.
The government has also built a nursery in Nusantara, the nation’s new capital city, specifically in Mentawir, Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan.– Antara
It has also set up a nursery in Denpasar, Bali, with a capacity to produce six million tree seedlings. During the G20 Bali Summit in 2022, he took state leaders to the nursery in Denpasar.
“They (G20 leaders) were amazed at the mangrove nursery there,” he said.
