What are the Sources of Air Pollution in Indonesia? This is What Residents Think

Air pollution issues are currently a hot topic of public discussion. According to the Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Siti Nurbaya, the main cause of air pollution, especially in the Jabodetabek region, is motorized vehicles.

"The main cause of air quality pollution is vehicles. Because according to our records in 2022, there were 24.5 million motorized vehicles, with more than 19.2 million being motorcycles," Siti said at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, as reported by *Kompas.com* on Monday (14/8/2023).

So, what is public perception regarding this issue?

According to a survey by Kurious-Katadata Insight Center (KIC), the majority, or 82.2% of respondents, feel that transportation emissions are the main source of air pollution in their environment.

Furthermore, 72.3% of respondents considered waste burning as a source of air pollution in their environment, 57% cited cigarette smoke, and 54.5% mentioned forest fires.

Meanwhile, only 39.8% of respondents felt that air pollution originated from coal-fired power plants (PLTU).

In response to the air pollution issue, local governments (Pemda) in Jabodetabek have implemented a work-from-home (WFH) policy for 50% of civil servants (ASN) in their respective regions.

"A circular letter from the Regional Secretary (Sekda), WFH will be implemented by the DKI Jakarta Pemda from August 21 to October 21, 2023, and will be followed by other Pemdas in Jabodetabek," said the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono, as reported by *Republika.co.id* on Monday (21/8/2023).

He explained that the two-month 50% WFH implementation is intended to reduce air pollution from the transportation sector and to reduce traffic congestion during the ASEAN Summit on September 4-7, 2023.

This Kurious-KIC survey on air pollution involved 512 respondents from various regions in Indonesia, with 54.6% male respondents and 45.4% female respondents.

More than half of the respondents were from Java Island outside Jakarta (62.5%), followed by respondents from Sumatra Island (14.6%) and DKI Jakarta (14.2%). The proportion of respondents from Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali-Nusa, and Maluku-Papua ranged from 0.2% to 3.3%.

The majority of respondents were from the 25-34 age group (34.8%), followed by the 35-44 age group (29.9%) and the 45-54 age group (18.4%).

Data collection was conducted on August 21-22, 2023, using the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method, with a margin of error of approximately 4.31% and a 95% confidence level.

(Read also: [Sources of Jakarta's Air Pollution, from Exhaust Fumes to Sea Salt](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2023/08/15/sumber-polusi-udara-jakarta-dari-asap-knalpot-sampai-garam-laut))