Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Jakarta Environment Agency, Asep Kuswanto, has asked high-rise building managements in the capital to install high-pressure water mist systems to spray water from the tops of buildings to reduce air pollution.

Kuswanto made the statement after testing a water mist system installed at the Pertamina Building in Central Jakarta.

"We sprayed water mist from the top of the Pertamina building and it was directly measured by a PM 2.5 monitor. It turned out (that spraying water mist) is able to reduce the PM 2.5 level around the building," he informed here on Monday.

He said that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry checked the PM 2.5 before and after the water spraying.

"The ministry informed that there was a decrease in PM 2.5 level after spraying," he added.

The water spraying on top of the Pertamina Building in Gambir, Central Jakarta, was coordinated by the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

According to Kuswanto, using water mist generators is much more effective in controlling pollution than spraying water on the streets.

He said that his side will propose the method to improve air quality in Jakarta.

In addition, he pointed out that it is easy to make water mist generators. Based on BRIN's calculation, the price of one water mist generator is around Rp50 million.

"The installation of water mist (systems) is expected to be massive because there are so many buildings in Jakarta," Kuswanto said.

He informed that his party will collect data on around 1,300 high-rise buildings in Jakarta, which are expected to conduct water spraying.


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Translator: Siti N, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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