Pollution Haunts Jakarta’s Children’s Health

Air pollution remains a problem faced by the entire population of Jakarta and its vicinity, particularly children. The long-term risks loom.

ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

A number of students look outside the building at SD Negeri Marunda 05, Cilincing, North Jakarta, Wednesday (29/3/2023). Residents of Marunda Rusunawa still find coal dust in their neighborhood..

Every morning, cleaning officers dust the ceramic floors in the complex of State Elementary School (SDN) Marunda 05 in Cilincing, North Jakarta, which shares the same roof with State Junior High School (SMPN) 290 and State Kindergarten (TK) Cilincing 02. Not only swept, the floors have to be scrubbed as coal dust is spread all over the schools. A considerable amount of coal dust has become stuck, forming a coating so that the floor has darkened.

A cleaning officer of SMPN 290, Rahman, 28, shared that the water used to scrub the floor turned black with the coal dust.

The same thing was revealed by SDN Marunda 05 deputy chief Achyat. “When the [eastern] wind is blowing in, it [the coal dust] is overwhelming,” he said in the school’s health service room on Wednesday (29/3/2023).

In the classrooms, only a small number of students and teachers wear face masks. The students’ coughs are occasionally heard in a classroom with around 28-30 children.

Also read:

> Jakarta Tightens Regulation on Air Pollution Control

> Green Energy for More Livable Jakarta

One of the students, Alzam Adwa Dianto, 9, often has red, stinging eyes affected by dust. He has become used to rubbing his eyes. He also frequently coughs. This is also experienced by Naufal Faridansyah, a second-year SD classmate of Alzam.

This intricate problem is not only faced by school students. Their parents, who mostly live in low-cost apartments (Rusun) Marunda, complain about the same conditions. Rusun Marunda Block D3 is around 600 meters from the school.

“If the coal [dust] comes in, children have breathing difficulties and start coughing. If their skin is sensitive, they feel itchy,” said Rubiyati, 40, a student’s parent and occupant of Rusunawa Marunda Block D3.

The coal dust problem arose from the activity of PT Karya Citra Nusantara (KCN), which has been proven to pollute the surrounding environment. The Jakarta provincial government has revoked the environmental management business license (UPL) of PT KCN that was engaged in coal loading and unloading at Marunda Port, as of 1 July 2022 (Kompas.id, 12/10/2022).

IVAN DWI KURNIA PUTRA

A number of children play in the hallway of Rusunawa Marunda, North Jakarta, Wednesday (12/10/2022). Not infrequently they play in air polluted by coal ash.

School circles and residents admit that the spreading coal dust has been reduced since KCN’s business license revocation. However, in reality the coal dust has not yet fully disappeared.

According to a Rusunawa Marunda resident and head of the Media and Information Bureau of the Rusunawa Marunda Community Forum (FMRM), Cecep Supryadi, it is suspected that there is still activity using or related to coal around the Marunda Port center.

Faced with this problem, the school had sent a letter to the North Jakarta Educational Sub-Office. At the time, it was suggested that those attending school wear face masks and trees be planted.

[At present] it’s not so aggravating, but does not mean there’s no more [coal].

The North Jakarta Environmental Sub-Office was once said to have checked the quality of air in the school area. Nonetheless, Achyat said the school had yet to be informed of the detailed data resulting from the office’s field check.

The school is now providing face masks for daily use under budget limitations, because the School Operational Aid (BOS) does not include the purchase of such health maintenance items. Achyat added that the TK students totaled 100, SD students 600 and SMP students around 500.

The struggle to secure the residents’ rights is also supported by guidance from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH). To date, various attempts to stop the issue have been carried out. Cecep indicated that he could gather thick coal dust in one sweep. “[At present] it’s not so aggravating, but does not mean there’s no more [coal],” he pointed out.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Beautiful atmosphere at Langsat Park, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Tuesday (21/3/2023). Nevertheless, air pollution remains a problem faced by the entire population of Jakarta and its vicinity, particularly children..

If this problem is left to carry on, Achyat and Cecep fear its long-term impact on the health of residents, particularly children. Their lungs and other respiratory organs should be given due attention.

Spokesman for the Jakarta Environmental Office (DLH) Yogi Ikhwan said the Gubernatorial Instruction No.66/2019 on air quality control had been enforced. The regulation contains plans of action required to be implemented by Jakarta regional institutions (SKPD). Some of the plans concern the tightening of emission test provisions for all private vehicles, the control of industries with active chimneys and the promotion of utilization of public transportation modes.

Widespread effect

Based on data from Nafas application service provider, the daily average of particulate matter or PM 2.5 was 30 ug/m3 on 1-31 March 2023 in the Marunda zone. The figures were twice as high as the daily standard determined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO puts the annual standard of PM 2.5 at 5 ug/m, while the daily standard is fixed at 15 ug/m3. In Jakarta and its environs, the average figures exceed the WHO’s safety threshold.

Also read:

> Time for Jakarta to Control Private Vehicle Use

According to professor of Environmental Health of the Public Health School, University of Indonesia, Budi Haryanto, the problem of air pollution should be overcome from the source of contamination. This should apply to all locations. If it is an industrial zone, the source of pollution like chimneys or cargo loading and unloading should be reduced, even eliminated. In a residential zone, the control of road traffic should be tightened.

Chief growth officer (CGO) and founder of Nafas Piotr Jakubowski said air pollution was not only an environmental problem but it had also spread to become a health issue. For this reason, it also required the Health Ministry’s attention.

“High exposure to air pollution can reduce productivity and lower the human resources quality of a country,” he added. (Z17)

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.