North Jakarta Administration Continues Efforts to Reduce Impact of Volcanic Ash

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The North Jakarta city government is working to reduce the impact of volcanic ash spread from the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau by spraying water using street sweeper vehicles and deploying fire engines equipped with smoke removal technology.

“This step is a rapid effort to reduce the impact of volcanic ash, which has the potential to disrupt public health and activities,” said the Head of the North Jakarta Environment Sub-Department, Edy Mulyanto, in Jakarta on Monday.

He said the impact of volcanic ash spread from Mount Anak Krakatau’s activity had begun to be felt in the North Jakarta area, and his office moved quickly by conducting a mitigation operation along Jalan Yos Sudarso on Sunday (6/9).

A total of 50 joint personnel from various agencies — including the Environment Sub-Department, the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP), the Parks and Urban Forest Department, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Transportation Department, the Health Department, and the Fire and Rescue Sub-Department (Gulkarmat) — were deployed to clean up the impact of the volcanic ash.

The clean-up operation focused on the main stretch of Jalan Yos Sudarso, from the Koja traffic light to the Cempaka Putih traffic light, using a mass water-spraying method with a specialised fleet, including fire engines and street sweeper vehicles fitted with spraying equipment.

“We urge residents to remain calm. Today, we carried out spraying along Jalan Yos Sudarso as a mitigation measure so that the ash does not become airborne and pose a danger,” said Edy.

Meanwhile, the North Jakarta Parks and Urban Forest Sub-Department also deployed four tanker trucks to clean pavement and park areas along the road.

From a technical standpoint, the Head of the North Jakarta and Thousand Islands Fire and Rescue Sub-Department, Budi Haryono, said the use of smoke removal equipment was key to the spraying operation, as it allows water to spread more evenly.

“With this equipment, the water spray can reach a wider area and help suppress the spread of volcanic ash on the roads,” Budi explained.

Separately, the Head of the North Jakarta Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Sub-Department (Kominfotik), M Fauzy, reminded the public to remain vigilant but not to panic, and to follow official information from the government.

“We urge the public not to panic and to continue their activities as usual while taking care of their health, such as by wearing masks when outdoors. We will continue to convey official information periodically,” said Fauzy.

The North Jakarta city government assured that the mitigation efforts would continue on an ongoing basis, in line with developing conditions on the ground.

“This step is expected to safeguard air quality, comfort, and public safety amid the potential impact of volcanic ash,” Fauzy said.