Activists in Jakarta files lawsuit against Indonesian government over air pollution

A group of activists and environmentalists in Jakarta on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Indonesian government over toxic levels of air pollution in the city.

Air quality in the south-east Asian metropolis has plunged dramatically in the past month. The city has been shrouded in hazardous smog for much of the past month, with air quality readings recording high concentrations of harmful microscopic particles known as PM 2.5.

On 25 June, the capital registered an air quality index (AQI) of 240 according to the dynamic IQAirVisual index. For comparison, London’s current index reading is 12 while San Francisco is on 26.

The Jakarta smog has now prompted more than 30 plaintiffs, including activists, environmentalists, civil servants, artists, and businesspeople to band together and work on submitting a civil lawsuit against the government this month.

"(The government) has neglected people's rights to breathe healthy air," lawyer Nelson Nikodemus Simamora told reporters after filing the lawsuit.

"They have not maintained air quality at a level that is healthy enough for the 10 million people living here.

The case will be filed against the Indonesian president, as well as the ministries of health, home affairs and environment, and the governors of Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

According to the dynamic IQAirVisual index, Jakarta topped the charts for the world’s most polluted city at least half a dozen times this June.

Last year Jakarta was ranked the most polluted city in south-east Asia, based on a study by Greenpeace and AirVisual, published this March.

Environment groups blame the air pollution on a cocktail of vehicle fumes, smoke and emissions from coal-fired power plants that ring greater Jakarta.