Eid homecoming activities increase air pollution

People are encouraged to go home by public transportation rather than using private vehicles in order to save the Earth.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

A queue of cars for travelers stuck in traffic at the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate, Karawang, West Java, Wednesday (19/4/2023) morning.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The movement of people during homecoming flows, gatherings and tourism, up to returning flows Eid also increases the level of air pollution in Indonesia. People are again being encouraged to switch to public transportation instead of using private vehicles to save the Earth.

The Transdisciplinary Institute's study from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia (FEB UI) analyzed the level of air pollution from April 12 to 25, 2023, or during last year's Eid al-Fitr holiday. They collected this data from Copernicus Sentinel Data published from Google Earth Engine (GEE).

As a result, the level of carbon monoxide (CO) in the air during last year's Eid al-Fitr holiday increased by an average of 3.1 percent in every district/city in Indonesia. Several destinations for Eid travelers and tourists, such as South Sumatra, Yogyakarta, and South Kalimantan, became more polluted during the holiday period.

"Mudik results in a significant increase in air pollution, particularly in the concentration of pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) during the pilgrimage. This is related to the massive use of private vehicles," said Muhammad Abdul Rohman from the Transdisciplinary Institute research team during an online discussion on Wednesday (April 17, 2024).

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Travelers stopped to break their fast on the roadside near the Rest Area at Kilometer 102 of the Cikopo-Palimanan toll road, Subang, West Java, on Saturday (6/4/2024).

This research revealed that apart from increasing CO, there was also an increase in other air pollutants. It was stated that NO₂ levels also increased by 6.47 percent, O₃ increased by 1.95 percent, and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) increased by 5 .95 percent. This all resulted from the volume of vehicles returning home for Eid 2023 which reached 26.4 million vehicles (BPS 2023).

So far, what has been noticed during the Eid period is only the potential for economic growth from returning home.

The high level of air pollution during the Lebaran holiday season has the potential to reduce the quality of life of the community spreading to the hometowns of travelers. Data from the Ministry of Health shows that air pollution contributes significantly to the six major respiratory diseases, namely pneumonia (lung infection), acute respiratory tract infections (ARI), asthma, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

"The tradition of 'mudik' allows for an increase in air pollution in rural areas due to the transportation of environmentally unfriendly vehicles from the city to the countryside, followed by the diseases that accompany it," said another researcher, Idzhar Elna Albarizq.

Also read: Bright and Fresh Jakarta Covered in Blue Sky

FEB UI Dean Teguh Dartanto encouraged the government to re-evaluate the sustainable tourism policy orgreen tourismwhich is regulated in Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Regulation Number 9 of 2021 to optimize low-emission vehicles at tourist attractions. Apart from that, people's homecoming activities should also be shifted to mass transportation.

"This is a reality that cannot be ignored because it can have an impact on the quality of life and people's health," said Teguh.

Akhmad Akbar Susamto, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), believes that this research has not yet explained the reasons for the differences in air pollution increases based on the types of pollutants found. If it is explained in more detail, the research will become more complete in influencing policies regarding the use of motor vehicle fuels.

”What the difference is between CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃, has not been explained here. In fact, how come the rates are different for both people going home? "Could it be because one uses (type of fuel oil) Pertalite, the other Pertamax, or the solution is an electric car," said Akhmad.

Also read: Combination of Air Purifier and Ventilation Reduces Pollution in Classrooms

Even so, he emphasized that this research is still good for seeing the rarely thought-of side of the Eid homecoming activity, namely from an environmental aspect. Because, up until now, the only thing that has been considered is the potential for economic growth from the homecoming.

The air is dirty again

Meanwhile, after the Eid holiday and the end of the Eid homecoming rush this year, the air quality in Jakarta has again become polluted. According to the IQAir air quality monitoring site on Wednesday (17/4/2024), the air quality index in Jakarta was at 103 or classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups. During the Eid holiday, from Wednesday (10/4/2024) to Tuesday (16/4/2024), the air quality in Jakarta was moderate or at a level of 67-100.

Also read: It's Time to See Air Pollution as a Crisis

The return of unhealthy air quality index has placed Jakarta at the 12th rank out of 121 countries on IQAir as the most polluted country. The top rank is held by Busan, South Korea, with an index of 179 which falls under the unhealthy category.