JAKARTA: Indonesia, one of the world’s worst plastic polluters, is going to phase out single-use plastic products by the end of 2029, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya announced this week, as the country aims to achieve its zero-waste goals by 2040. Asia has been identified as the biggest contributor to ocean plastic, and Indonesia an archipelago nation of 270
Troubled waters: what’s causing the mystery foam in a Jakarta canal? Rebecca Ratcliffe, south-east Asia correspondent, and Johanes Hutabarat in Jakarta
A blanket of thick, snow-like foam covers the surface of a canal in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. The froth has exuded from the waters of the east flood canal in Marunda repeatedly over recent years, usually in the rainy season.
Similar pollution has plagued waters in India, including Delhi’s sacred Yamuna River, which has been coated in toxic froth caused by untreated waste, chemicals and pollutants.
In Jakarta, liquid waste, including detergent from homes and nearby factories, has been blamed.