In Commemoration of Ozone Day, Lights on Several Buildings and Streets in Central Jakarta Turned Off

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A city-wide blackout initiated by the Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov) began to be seen at several points in Central Jakarta on Saturday night (19/9/2026).

This light outage commemorates World Ozone Day, observed annually on September 16.

At around 8:32 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, Kompas.com observed several streetlights and building lights along Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan were turned off.

The Jakarta City Hall building appeared unusually dark, lacking its typical illumination.

Several other buildings along Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan also appeared dimmer than normal.

KOMPAS.com/LIDIA PRATAMA FEBRIAN The scene at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout area, Central Jakarta, remained brightly lit during the simultaneous blackout on Saturday night (19/9/2026).

Similar conditions were noted with street lighting around the area.

However, not all areas of Central Jakarta were plunged into darkness.

The National Monument (Monas) remained lit, and parts of Jalan MH Thamrin, Sarinah area, and the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout retained their streetlights and exterior lighting.

This disparity in lighting created a stark contrast across different street sections.

The Medan Merdeka Selatan area appeared dimmer, while the stretch from MH Thamrin to Sarinah and the HI Roundabout stayed illuminated.

Several passersby noticed the lights being turned off.

"At first, I thought there was a power outage. It turned out to be a coordinated blackout," said Erina (38), a resident, when met near the IRTI Monas Parking on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan.

Erina said she only realized the blackout event after noticing several building and street lights going dark.

"It looks quite different because buildings here are usually well-lit. Now, parts of them are dark," she added.

Another local, Hardi (34), said he had prior information about the one-hour blackout.

"I already knew from previous updates, so I wasn't too surprised when the lights went out," he said.

He noted the dimmer streets gave the night a noticeably different atmosphere compared to usual evenings.

"It certainly feels gloomier. But traffic is still heavy and some parts of the roads remain lit," he explained.

Meanwhile, residents near Sarinah up to the HI Roundabout said they had not seen lighting changes as significant as those along Medan Merdeka Selatan.

"I came from Sarinah, and it's still bright there. But once you get here, you can see several lights off," said Sarodi (30).

60-Minute Blackout

The Jakarta Provincial Government previously announced a simultaneous one-hour blackout on Saturday (19/9/2026).

The outage was scheduled from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. WIB as part of commemorating World Ozone Day.

According to Pemprov DKI information, the blackout covered several government buildings, private properties, main and arterial roads, as well as iconic Jakarta landmarks.

In Central Jakarta, locations included Jalan Sudirman from Dukuh Atas to the Sampoerna Strategic building, Jalan MH Thamrin, the Medan Merdeka area through Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara in front of the Presidential Palace, Jalan Gerbang Pemuda, Jalan Asia Afrika, the grounds of City Hall, and the Central Jakarta Mayor’s Office.

Apart from roads and buildings, several Jakarta icons were also part of the event, including the National Monument (Monas) along with its fountains and the HI Roundabout with its fountains.

The Provincial Government also encouraged residents to switch off their home lights for 60 minutes to participate in the event.

During a similar action held on June 13, 2026, Pemprov DKI recorded electricity savings of 75.18 MWh, cost efficiencies of Rp108,693,752, and an emission reduction of 60.14 tons of CO2e.