ITB study: Jabodetabek air pollution cannot be tackled by one sector

The latest study from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) shows that air pollution in the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) area cannot be tackled partially by a single region or sector.

Professor Puji Lestari, Professor of Environmental Engineering and Head of the Air and Waste Management Expertise Group at FTSL ITB, said air quality in Jabodetabek is influenced by heavy vehicles and logistics, commuter mobility, industry and power plants, and therefore control measures cannot stop at administrative boundaries.

According to her, pollution sources differ between areas: transport is dominant in Jakarta and several satellite cities, industry is dominant in Bogor Regency and Tangerang City, while power plants are dominant in Bekasi Regency and Tangerang Regency.

“These findings show that the issue of air quality in Jabodetabek cannot be viewed only from one type of vehicle or one sector,” she said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.

Air quality data and emissions inventories, she added, reveal the interconnections between heavy vehicles and logistics, commuter mobility, industrial activity and power plants.

Overall, greenhouse gas emissions in Jabodetabek are estimated to reach 88.53 million tonnes per year, with industry contributing 35 percent, power plants 31 percent and transport 26 percent.

“Pollution does not follow administrative boundaries, so our response must also move beyond administrative boundaries. Jabodetabek needs to be increasingly managed as a single integrated air quality policy unit,” she said.

According to her, when emission sources are located in one area while their contribution can be measured in another, the policy response must also move beyond administrative boundaries.

“Jabodetabek needs to be increasingly managed as a single integrated air quality policy unit,” she reiterated.

ViriyaENB Executive Director Suzanty Sitorus said the study’s findings need to be translated into measurable emission reduction targets and the distribution of responsibilities across regions.

“Jabodetabek requires a cross-regional air quality strategy framework that can be monitored and held accountable,” she said.

Gonggomtua E Sitanggang, Southeast Asia Director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Indonesia, said the study provides an important basis for developing effective transport policies to reduce emissions in Jabodetabek.

The study’s findings further confirm that air quality control needs to be carried out beyond administrative boundaries, including in the transport sector, whose management remains fragmented between regions.

“The results of this study will be an important input for the development of the transport model currently being undertaken by ITDP Indonesia,” he said.

Through the integration of emissions and transport data, he added, the model is expected to help identify the most effective transport policies and interventions to reduce emissions and improve air quality in Jabodetabek based on evidence.

The research team recommends strengthening cross-regional and cross-sector governance, accelerating low-emission vehicles, strengthening industrial and power plant emission controls, expanding public transport, ending open burning, improving air quality monitoring, and setting measurable emission reduction targets.

The findings can serve as a reference for local governments in preparing air quality protection and management plans in accordance with Minister of Environment Regulation Number 5 of 2026.