Remote working for Jakarta public employees fails to tackle pollution

JAKARTA – The two-month remote working period for Jakarta public employees that ended recently was largely ineffective in reducing severe traffic congestion and air pollution in the Indonesian capital, analysts have said.

The policy instructed

civil servants employed by the Jakarta administration to work from home

from Aug 21 to Oct 21, with exceptions for those working in essential sectors such as education and health, in a bid to curb the severe air pollution that has been choking the city in recent months. Acting Jakarta Governor Heru Budi Hartono has now ordered his subordinates to return to their offices.

The work-from-home policy was put in place after

acute pollution engulfed the city

, which topped Swiss company IQAir’s pollution ranking for almost a week in August, and to mitigate the congestion that might have hindered the 43rd Asean Summit in early September.

According to Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo, the average daily traffic volume declined by about 40,000 vehicles from some 6.84 million vehicles to 6.8 million vehicles, or about 0.63 per cent, during the implementation of the policy. Morning and evening rush hour traffic on weekdays also decreased by 1.48 per cent and 0.46 per cent, respectively.

The results would be evaluated by the Jakarta administration to address air pollution, said Mr Heru Budi in a statement last week.