Jakarta residents win battle for clean air against Indonesian government

(CNN)A Jakarta court on Thursday ruled the Indonesian government had failed to uphold citizens' right to clean air, in a landmark judgment campaigners hope will force authorities to take action on the city's notorious smog.

The long-awaited decision ends a two-year legal challenge brought by 32 Jakarta citizens against Indonesian President Joko Widodo, three cabinet ministers, the Jakarta governor, and two provincial leaders. The court ruled that the defendants were guilty of "committing "unlawful acts" and failing to combat air pollution in the national capital.

They had violated the country's environmental protection laws, said the verdict, which called on top officials to establish a national ambient air quality standard, among a number of other measures.

Jakarta, home to more than 10.5 million people, consistently ranks among the world's worst cities for air pollution.

Alghiffari Aqsa, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the verdict "historic."

"We hope all defendants accept this verdict, because they also live here," Aqsa said. "We hope that they abide by this verdict by executing all points through their action and strategic planning."

The lawyer for the defendants, who were not present in court on Thursday, declined to comment on the verdict when contacted by CNN.

Before the ruling, Leonard Simanjuntak, country director for Greenpeace Indonesia and a plaintiff in the lawsuit as a private citizen, said several claimants had faced significant health problems from breathing Jakarta's "dirty air."

He cited asthma, skin problems and the case of one plaintiff who developed an upper respiratory tract infection after moving to the city.

The citizens claimed the government had been negligent in upholding its obligations in managing Jakarta's air pollution, and had failed to fulfill residents' right to clean air.

"Not all of us have the same sensitivities, but there are those experiencing health problems related to the dirty air we breathe," Simanjuntak said.

Choking on smog

Indonesia is Southeast Asia's most polluted country, and Jakarta is the world's 10th most-polluted capital, according to the 2020 World Air Quality Report by IQAir.

Air pollution is often measured by the concentration of PM2.5 -- microscopic particles that contain pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon. They are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and can cause severe health problems including lung cancer, coronary heart disease, strokes and early death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) sets the standard for PM2.5 in safe ambient air quality at 10 micrograms per cubic meter. In Indonesia, the national safe standard set by the government is 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

But in Jakarta, readings regularly far exceed both levels -- with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 39.6 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the IQAir report.

Rapid urbanization and high levels of traffic congestion are the main contributors to Jakarta's poor air quality, according to a study by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Coal-fired power plants on the city's outskirts also play a role, the study said.

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