Air Quality Worsens in 5 Indonesian Cities, Walhi Urges Government Action

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The air quality in Indonesia has deteriorated based on air monitoring data from the US AQI website, which indicates that throughout May 2026, five major cities in Indonesia have been in a worrying condition.

Monitoring data shows that Jakarta and Bandung consistently fall into the "unhealthy" category. Meanwhile, Surabaya, Medan, and Semarang fall into the "moderate" category, which still poses risks to vulnerable groups.

For this reason, the Indonesian Environment Forum (Walhi) urges the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (BPLH) to formulate appropriate policies to address this issue immediately.

Jakarta is experiencing unhealthy air quality with an AQI ranging from 134 to 189. The peak was recorded on May 9, 2026, aggravated by buffer areas such as Serpong and South Tangerang (up to 178), indicating cross-regional pollution.

Bandung shows a similar trend (137-171) and often exceeds Jakarta. Meanwhile, Surabaya (91-105), Medan (79-95), and Semarang (71-83) are in the moderate category but still pose risks to vulnerable groups. Overall, the air quality in these five cities is unhealthy for the entire population.

"Walhi asserts that air pollution in Jakarta and other major cities is not a seasonal or incidental phenomenon, but rather a result of structural failures in environmental management," said Wahyu Eka Styawan, the Urban Justice Campaigner and Spatial Policy of Walhi's National Executive, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

"Air pollution is a consequence of a development model that still relies on fossil energy and has minimal control over pollution sources," he added.

Walhi has identified the main causes of the air crisis. These include emissions from coal-fired power plants (including captive plants), motor vehicle pollution due to heavy traffic, and a slow transition to clean transportation. Another cause is minimally supervised industrial activities. Periodic forest fires, coupled with limited green open space and weak law enforcement, further worsen the situation.

According to Article 28H, paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, continuous air pollution violates the Constitution because it infringes upon the right of everyone to a good and healthy environment. Exposure to PM 2.5 pollution increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and premature death. It also causes economic losses due to increased health costs and decreased productivity.

"The government should have acted swiftly to address this issue, learning from the citizen lawsuit on Jakarta's air pollution with case number 374/Pdt.G/LH/2019/PN.Jkt.Pst, won by 32 citizens in 2021," Wahyu said.

In the verdict, the central and regional governments (KLH, Jakarta Provincial Government, West Java and Banten) were found to have committed unlawful acts due to negligence in controlling air quality.

Walhi emphasizes that based on this verdict, several things can be adopted in policies, such as tightening national air quality standards to be in line with health protection standards; revising outdated regulations such as Government Regulation No. 41 of 1999; strengthening supervision of industrial emissions and motor vehicles, the main contributors to pollution; and increasing real-time air quality data transparency to the public.

Therefore, he urges the Ministry of Environment/BPLH and local governments to accelerate the transition to clean energy, strengthen low-emission public transportation systems, tighten industrial supervision, and ensure the openness of air quality data by taking concrete and systemic steps. "These efforts must be accompanied by firm law enforcement and people-centeredness," he said.

Read: UN Says World Has Not Made Adequate Progress on Forest Goals

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