Jakarta. Governor Pramono Anung said Jakarta’s worsening air pollution is primarily caused by coal-fired power plants, coal-fueled industries, and motor vehicles.

“The primary cause of pollution in Jakarta is power plants and industries that use coal as fuel, which contains high levels of sulfur,” said Pramono on Monday.

Pramono believes that addressing air pollution in Jakarta requires more than just building urban forests. According to him, urban forests only help to reduce the impact of pollution, not eliminate it entirely.

He explained that although green spaces serve to absorb carbon emissions, their contribution is still not proportional to the emissions produced by the energy and transportation sectors.

Recently, Pramono visited the Srengseng Urban Forest in West Jakarta. Referring to data from a study conducted by the United States Forest Service in collaboration with Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), he said the Srengseng Urban Forest, which spans approximately 15 hectares, can absorb around 313 tons of carbon dioxide per year and generate 227.8 tons of oxygen in the same period.

Pramono stressed that one of the necessary efforts to combat pollution is to reduce the number of vehicles using high-sulfur fuels and to limit the operations of factories that still use coal.

He also praised Environment Minister Hanif Faisol for shutting down two metal smelting factories. According to him, this measure has had a positive impact on reducing pollution levels in Jakarta.

“If you look at the past week, Jakarta’s pollution has significantly decreased. Apart from the rainfall, it’s also because the factories have ceased operations,” Pramono concluded.

Indonesia plans to retire 13 coal-fired power plants due to their high carbon emissions, including the 40-year-old Suralaya plant in Cilegon, Banten, which contributes to air pollution in Jakarta.