For many, Jakarta’s air pollution has long been a daily struggle, but something extraordinary happened recently. The city, notorious for its smog-filled skies, recorded “good” air quality for five straight days, from November 28 to December 2. According to Nafas, a popular air quality monitoring app, Jakarta’s Air Quality Index (AQI) consistently stayed below 50, signaling minimal pollution. But what sparked this unexpected improvement?
NAFAS Indonesia, a platform dedicated to tracking the country’s air quality, expressed their astonishment online. “Jakarta’s air has been clean, and the skies have turned a beautiful shade of blue,” the platform posted.
The AQI measures air pollution by tracking fine particles known as PM2.5, tiny pollutants harmful to health. An AQI score between 0 and 50 indicates excellent air quality. This recent improvement, experts say, can largely be attributed to stronger-than-usual winds that scattered pollutants.
Andry Satryo Nugroho, the Head of INDEF’s Center of Industry, Trade, and Investment, previously pointed out that coal-fired power plants (PLTUs) are significant contributors to Jakarta’s air pollution.
“There are 16 coal-fired PLTUs encircling Jakarta—10 in Banten and six in West Java,” he stated last year.
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In fact, a 2017 report from WALHI and Greenpeace mapped 10 coal-fired PLTUs in Banten that heavily contribute to Jakarta’s pollution. Among them are PLTU Lestari Banten Energi, with a capacity of 670 MW, PLTU Suralaya units 1-7 with a staggering 3,400 MW capacity, and PLTU Labuan units 1-2 at 600 MW.
This unusual streak of clean air raised questions: could it be linked to reduced activities at these power plants? The answer lies elsewhere. The improvement coincides with Jakarta’s transition into the rainy season.
From November 18 onward, the city experienced a steady decline in air pollution. IQAir, another global air quality platform, reported a sharp drop in Jakarta’s AQI, from an unhealthy 157 on November 17 to a healthy 57 by December 2.
Strong winds played a crucial role in this transformation. NAFAS Indonesia explained that a low-pressure system near Tropical Cyclone Robyn generated powerful winds, which swept through the Sunda Strait and into Jakarta. These winds intensified around November 21 and reached their peak on November 28.
“When the winds picked up, not only did laundry get blown away, but the pollutants trapped in Jakarta also got carried northward,” NAFAS Indonesia noted in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on December 1.
On November 28, PM2.5 levels in Jakarta dropped dramatically, reaching a concentration of less than 10. This is comparable to some of the cleanest cities in the world. Typically, the city experiences stronger winds from the sea in the afternoons, which push pollutants along their path. This phenomenon also explains why air quality in North Jakarta often surpasses that of South Jakarta.
For now, Jakarta’s residents are enjoying the rare blue skies, though many hope this isn’t just a fleeting anomaly.
