The paradox of a metropolis like this is that it's filthy – but no one is leaving. Unlike this metropolis, however, a number of other cities – not all of them in developed countries – have for more than 20 years had plans in place to combat pollution.
Only after consistently winning universal recognition for being among the world's most polluted and congested cities, has Jakarta finally begun to make meaningful steps toward providing alternative fuels and improving public transport.
There was for too long too few gas stations supplying unleaded gas. And there were a number of other administrative excuses that contributed to the slow provision of said fuel. But today motorists have access to a lot more unleaded gas – and more people are being attracted to the busway.
This good news is new though. The average number of "good" healthy days in Jakarta remains around 20 per annum. The rest of the year sees Jakarta clouded in smog and other hazardous substances.
Jakartans, unlike our international neighbors, are spared the haze distributed by Indonesia's annual forest fires. But we're exposed nonetheless to other poisons nearly every day
It wasn't a real surprise then when the Ministry of Health announced in 2003 that asthma was affecting 5.2 percent of children, compared to 2.1 percent back in 1995. The ministry estimates one in 10 children now suffer from the disease.
Those living in and around Jakarta would be among the most vulnerable – as one expert said, we inhale more carbon monoxide in a car moving slower than 30 km per hour.
Carbon monoxide is one of several pollutants around us, which, we are warned, is potentially harmful to our lungs, our fertility levels and to our sanity, given the long term impacts CO2 has on the nervous system.
But few of us hear this message clearly enough to collectively pressure the authorities for better trains and buses or to reduce the daily average of 6.5 million cars crawling up and down the city's road networks.
Instead, we give in to those who empower us, the banks and car dealers, to buy cool saloons and SUVs. For they enable us to better and more comfortably cope with the traffic congestion, compared at least to those squeezed and squashed in the sardine cans that make up our mass transport.
The latest information released tells us there are more children that have been affected by asthma. Many think asthma is derived only via genetics – but they are wrong.
The latest statistics will hopefully ring some alarm bells loudly and clearly so that our city planners as well as those eying the governor's seat can hear the message.
It was both a lesson in leadership and urban planning when plans for the No Car Day last month flopped – even though there had been a few "warm up" car-free Sundays in various locations.
Residents demand better traffic – but how do we part them from their wheels? Without better mass transport, private car users simply won't part with their vehicles of comfort.
Not with millions of commuters having to allocate up to four hours on the road to and from work, or 12 hours out of the house every working day.
Our new governor would be the new hero if he could emulate Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's leader. Schwarzenegger has become publicly associated with a greener lifestyle, inspiring awareness of the feasibility of working toward a healthier environment.
Who wouldn't be grateful to a new governor who could bring us home much earlier to our families, not to mention the contribution to the health of our children.
For those with breathing ailments, the classic advice from physicians has been to stay away from dust and other pollutants, and to expose patients to more fresh air. Frequent trips to Puncak hill or the seaside would be good, doctors say.
But one then needs to add the traffic factor – blamed by health experts for its contribution to pollution.
Families with asthmatic children would relate to the organization required to organize a family trip to the seaside for some fresh air – only to have their young wheezing again when caught in traffic on the way home.
The anti-smoking ordinance is at least one landmark legacy of Jakarta's outgoing Governor Sutiyoso – and it has been significant in the fight against pollution.
Whoever succeeds him will bear responsibility not only for enforcing the bylaw indiscriminately, but also for generating more environment-friendly ordinances to enable us to breathe fresh and healthy air.