Jalan Haji Darip in East Jakarta Turns Red, Construction Dust Invades Residents’ Homes and Food Stalls

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Jalan Haji Darip in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, is covered with scattered red soil along the road shoulders and sidewalks.

The soil deposits originate from a nearby construction project. Soil clinging to the project trucks' wheels is carried outside and spread onto the roadway.

As the red soil dries, it turns into dust that is blown by the wind, spreading along Jalan Haji Darip towards Pulogadung. The dust also infiltrates several homes and local businesses.

Kompas.com observed on Friday (18/9/2026) that parts of the roadway had been cleaned and watered down by authorities.

However, residual red soil and dust were still found up to about 500 meters from the project site heading towards Pulogadung.

This situation forces residents along the road to clean their homes and businesses more frequently.

Construction Dust Disrupts Residents’ Activities

Local residents say the dust from the project complicates their daily activities as they must repeatedly clean areas affected by the dust.

Nur Hakim (55), a resident and furniture store worker, said the dust causes the merchandise at his workplace to get dirty quickly.

He has to regularly wipe down cabinets and tables covered in dust.

“Yesterday was bad, even my clothes on the drying rack got really dirty, not to mention the dust sticking to the cabinets and tables, so I have to clean them regularly,” Nur Hakim told Kompas.com at Jalan Haji Darip on Friday (18/9/2026).

According to Nur Hakim, this condition has affected residents for about a week.

The dust intensifies when the soil stuck to truck wheels dries out and is then crushed by other vehicles.

Meanwhile, Jumadi (60), a local resident, opts to wear a mask when outside his home.

“Yes, there's a project from a cigarette factory. Residents have to clean frequently. We wear masks too, because otherwise we might have trouble breathing from the dust,” said Jumadi.

KOMPAS.com/Muhammad Wildan Alghofari Red soil leftover from the project turns into dust carried by wind on Jalan Haji Darip, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, disturbing residents’ activities on Friday (18/9/2026)

Roadway and Homes, Shops Dirtied

The red soil dust not only dirties the roadway but is also carried by the wind into residents’ homes and places of business.

This has left several yards and house porches dirty.

Food stalls have also been affected, as experienced by Wati (46), a food stall owner near Jalan Haji Darip.

She said she needs to mop her stall several times a day to keep it clean.

“There are days I mop up to 10 times. The dust gets blown in by the wind. And since this is a food place, it must be clean,” Wati said.

The dust entering the stall also forces Wati to open and close the stall entrance repeatedly when dust is swirling outside.

“So the door has to be opened and closed a lot. In a food place, cleanliness is a must; you can't expect customers to eat dust,” she added.

She worries that the dust compromises the hygiene of the food and dining area.

Residents Complain About Construction Dust

Residents believe this issue should receive attention during the construction since the building activities take place within a community still in full use.

Nur Hakim said both residents and construction workers share the interest of keeping the roads comfortable to use.

“I feel sorry for food stall owners. We all work along this road. The project should respect the people,” Nur Hakim said.

He added that the red soil deposits also made the road surface slippery for riders.

“Yesterday the road was slippery. But rules for construction in urban areas should prevent this,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jumadi said residents want the problem solved promptly without waiting for the road condition to worsen again.

He admitted residents were unsure who to report the soil deposits to.

“That’s why people were confused about who to report to. This should be cleaned regularly. The project workers must keep the area clean,” said Jumadi.

KOMPAS.com/Muhammad Wildan Alghofari Jalan Haji Darip in East Jakarta filled with red soil from construction, dust enters homes and food stalls on Friday (18/9/2026)

Road Cleaned but Dust Still Lingers

Kompas.com’s observation found that the roadway about 100 meters from the project site was relatively clean after being watered down.

However, red soil residues were still visible on the edges of the road and sidewalks up to about 500 meters towards Pulogadung.

Rakha, a commuter, said the main road's condition is better compared to several days ago.

“When I passed earlier, the main road looked much cleaner, not like a few days ago when it was very dusty,” Rakha said.

Despite the cleaner roadway, he still noticed clumps of soil and dust on the sidewalks.

“But on the sidewalk towards Hiba Utama, there were still many clumps of soil and dust,” Rakha added.

An official from Bina Marga said cleaning was carried out with a joint team following complaints about the red soil deposits.

“Regarding the red soil deposits here, yesterday Bina Marga together with a joint team went directly to the site to water and clean,” the Bina Marga official said.

Regular cleaning will continue to keep the road safe and clean.

“We will clean periodically and routinely at this location to ensure the road is safe and clean for public use,” he added.

Kompas.com also attempted to contact the project manager at the site, but the Bina Marga official said the person in charge was not present.