"For the first phase, we would prepare 256 points in each urban village, and then the number will increase to 800," Jakarta Acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono stated after attending the tree planting activity under the Becakayu Toll Road in Jakarta, on Saturday.
Hartono noted that the Jakarta administration had consistently planted trees to make the city greener.
As of July 2023, as many as 25 thousand trees, measuring a height of three meters, have been planted, such as Terminalia mantaly (Ketapang Cendana) and Tabebuia, he stated.
In order to improve the air quality, the provincial government has also collaborated with private parties, such as Maybank, to plant a thousand Ketapang Kencana trees along the 4.2 kilometers under the Becakayu Toll Road.
The Ketapang tree is well-known for its ability to absorb pollutants in the air, Hartono stated.
He then lauded the private sector for its collaboration with the regional government in improving the air quality.
He noted that the area under the Becakayu toll road had also earlier been planted with productive crops, such as spinach, kale, chilies, and mustard greens.
According to Hartono, this effort can lower the temperature by at least two degrees and support food security for the local residents.
Specifically in the Becakayu Toll Road area, he said that the work of greening has and will continue to be carried out on a 5.2-kilometer area.
"It can be calculated that we have brought a positive value to lowering the temperature with these plants," he remarked.
Moreover, he appealed to all stakeholders, including Jakarta's residents, to work together in campaigning the movement to improve air quality.
Accompanying Hartono at the activity were Head of Jakarta Parks and City Forest Service Bayu Meghantara; Head of the Jakarta Environment Service, Asep Kuswanto; Head of Jakarta Food Security, Maritime Affairs, and Agriculture Service, Suharini Eliawati; and East Jakarta Mayor M. Anwar.
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Translator: Mentari Dwi G, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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