蜜芽传媒

An Indonesian court has ruled that President Joko Widodo and other top officials have been negligent in tackling air pollution in Jakarta.

In a landmark decision, the court ordered monitoring stations and other measures to improve the capital's air.

The lawsuit was filed by residents in 2019 and the verdict has since been postponed several times.

Air pollution is reducing Jakarta residents' life expectancy by 5.5 years, US researchers say.

Persistent smog in the city of 10 million people is caused by heavy traffic and coal-fired power plants that have not been fitted with filters.

The district court has instructed Mr Widodo to improve the national standard of air quality, adding that the provincial government must conduct checks such as periodical emission tests for older vehicles in Jakarta and outdoor air quality tests.

Margaretha Quina is legal counsel at the group Earth Justice in Indonesia which helped bring the case. What's her reaction to today's ruling?

Photo shows: Jakarta's skyline covered in smog. Credit: Getty Images

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