Jakarta air quality deemed unhealthy as PM2.5 spikes, community forum launched

Air quality monitoring on Saturday morning showed Jakarta’s Air Quality Index at 172, classifying the city’s air as unhealthy. The PM2.5 concentration reached 85.5 µg/m³, about 17 times the WHO annual guideline. Health officials advised residents to limit outdoor activity, wear masks, keep windows closed and use air filters. The reading placed Jakarta as the fourth‑worst city in Indonesia, after Tangerang Selatan, Serpong and Tangerang. The provincial government urged citizens to join the #SatuLangkahDulu campaign to improve air quality, while the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency highlighted the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation, construction and climate change.

On 21 June, Katadata Green, the Jakarta Environment Agency and Breathe Cities organised a “Forum Udara Warga” at Taman Tebet Eco Park. The event gathered community groups, NGOs and local officials on equal footing to discuss concrete actions on air‑quality improvement, waste management and green‑space development. Participants presented initiatives such as collective waste collection, advocacy for more open green areas and household‑level energy transitions, and recorded their suggestions on an aspiration board for future policy advocacy.