Serang, Banten (ANTARA) - Head of the Banten Provincial Environment and Forestry Office, Wawan Gunawan, has said that three provinces — Banten, Jakarta, and West Java — have committed to improving air quality in the region.
"The commitment of the Banten, Jakarta, and West Java provincial governments in improving air quality will be outlined in the form of cooperation," Gunawan said here on Friday.
Recently, the poor air quality in Banten, Jakarta, and West Java has been in the national spotlight. In fact, three areas in Banten, namely Serang, Tangerang City, and South Tangerang City, have contributed to poor air quality.
"The air quality in the Greater Jakarta (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi area) is below the quality threshold. Hence, the three provinces will discuss the solutions," he informed.
Meanwhile, the Banten provincial government is dealing with air pollution by involving cross-regional apparatus organizations (OPDs), not just the environment and forestry office.
"The transportation office will carry out the 3-in-1 (vehicle policy) and the odd-even policy, especially in the Tangerang area," he said.
In addition, he informed that his side is collaborating with district/city administrations in conducting emission tests.
"We will collaborate with the districts/cities for the emission test as it is under their authority," he said.
He explained that his side, together with the administrations of districts/cities, is supervising industries whose operations may contribute to emissions.
"Some permits for industries were issued by the provinces and some were issued by the districts/cities. We are collaborating in supervising them. We are also asking industries and districts/cities to conduct greening, and we will prepare the seeds," he said.
According to him, one solution for reducing air pollution is opening green open spaces.
"This also requires joint commitment; not only provinces, but all districts/cities and stakeholders must contribute to making air quality better," he said.
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