Indonesia

AN INDONESIAN court yesterday ordered President Joko Widodo and other officials to improve the hazardous air quality of the capital Jakarta after finding them guilty of environmental negligence in a civil lawsuit. The citizen lawsuit was filed in 2019. The 32 plaintiffs said the lawsuit was a bid to attempt to compel authorities to take action against severe air pollution in the metropolis of Jakarta, home to more than 30 million people. Rapid urbanisation and chronic traffic in Jakarta, with nearby coal-fired power plants, have contributed to the air quality, says the Center on Energy and Clean Air. |