Gov’t Claims Improved Air Quality Ahead of Asian Games

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Flags of the participating 2018 Asian Games countries are displayed near the Sunter River in Senen subdistrict, Jakarta, Tuesday (10/7/2018).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Changes in Jakartans’ behavior ahead of the 18^th Asian Games, to be held in Jakarta and Palembang in August, are beginning to bear fruit. The switch from using private vehicles to using public transportation is claimed to have led to improvements in the capital’s air quality. It is hoped that this trend will continue after the sporting event ends.

The first week of the expanded odd-even traffic scheme has led to an increased number of Transjakarta bus passengers. In the first days of the policy’s expansion, the number of Transjakarta passengers surged to 226,006 a day, higher than the daily average of 201,590 passengers the previous week.

In line with this, the Jakarta administration said that the city’s air pollution had decreased. Jakarta Environment Agency head Isnawa Adji said that the city’s concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO) and hydrocarbon (HC) had decreased after the odd-even traffic scheme expansion. “These pollutants are sourced from vehicles’ exhaust,” Isnawa said in Jakarta on Wednesday (11/7/2018).

At the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, CO concentration dropped by 1.7 percent, NO concentration by 14.7 percent and HC concentration by 1.37 percent. In Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, CO concentration dropped by 1.15 percent, NO concentration by 7.03 percet and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentration by 2.01 percent. In Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, CO concentration dropped by 1.12 percent and NO concentration by 7.46 percent.

However, according to observations, there is a high amount of dust particles in a number of places across Jakarta. Isnawa said that the numerous infrastructure development projects around the city might have contributed to this. “The projects will be halted during the Asian Games to prevent any problems,” he said.

Positive changes are also evident in several neighborhoods, including Kampung Delta in Serdang subdistrict, Kemayoran district, Central Jakarta. Locals were seen making changes to the neighborhood by painting house walls and roads a variety of colors. As a result, the neighborhood looks vibrant, like during Independence Day celebrations.

Best impression

University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo said that the 2018 Asian Games should leave a good impression on foreign guests. This can be done through continuous campaigns on values of professionalism, kindliness and responsibility. Such positive values must be promoted before and throughout the event.

“There must be a guideline for concrete steps that can the people can take,” Imam said.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Colorful roads and residential houses are seen in Serdang, Kemayoran, Jakarta, Tuesday (10/07/2018). A number of kampung in Jakarta are changing their looks to welcome the Asian Games.

Everyone, including the government, the organizing committee and the general public, should be involved in creating a good impression that can leave a lasting legacy. The efforts should involve everyone in mutual assistance, instead of being relegated only to certain government bodies.

Jakarta Pedestrians’ Coalition head Alfred Sitorus said that the city administration had yet to invite the community to collaborate in public campaigns. Alfred said that the coalition urged the city administration to complete its infrastructure projects soon.

Furthermore, Alfred said, the coalition also urged the city administration to manage street vendor operations and ban vendors from occupying sidewalks. Alfred said that this would be part of efforts to educate Jakartans on the proper use of pedestrian sidewalks. The coalition also launched an environmentally friendly driving campaign for Asian Games official drivers.

Ticketing

After recent public protests on Asian Games ticket prices, the House of Representatives Commission X and the Youth and Sports Ministry requested that the 2018 Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (Inasgoc) review ticket prices for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as a number of sports matches.

House Commission X deputy chair Ferdiansyah said that people’s purchasing power should be considered. If ticket prices are too high, he said that he was worried that people would not be able to buy them; consequently, they would not develop a sense of attachment to the event.

Youth and Sports Ministry secretary Gatot S. Dewa Broto said that the ticket prices should be revised, especially those of the opening and closing ceremonies. Gatot said that this had become a sensitive public issue. The cheapest ticket price for the opening ceremony is Rp 750,000 (US$52.12) and Rp 450,000 for the closing ceremony.

Indonesian Handball Association (ABTI) patron Mustafa said that the ticket prices were too expensive for Indonesians. Tickets for handball matches are priced between Rp 100,000 and Rp 300,000. “It may be cheap for people from Arabia, China, South Korea and Japan, but it’s very expensive for Indonesians,” he said.

(KEL/HLN/PIN/DEA/IRE/DEA/E11)