Clean, fresh air remains a dream for Jakarta<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to walk along Jakarta's roads
\nwithout being suffocated by exhaust fumes from passing vehicles?<\/p>\n
But even with the implementation of Bylaw No. 2\/2005 on air
\npollution control in February next year, this utopian dream may
\nprobably stay just that: a dream.<\/p>\n
True to its label as the third most polluted city in the world
\nafter Mexico City and Bangkok, Jakarta experienced only 18 days
\nof fresh air in 2004, compared to 21 days in 2003 and 25 days in
\n2002.<\/p>\n
And don't be surprised if what you inhale per cubic meter into
\nyour lungs during the day are actually pollutants, like more than
\n68,000 micrograms of carbon monoxide (CO), over 4,700 micrograms
\nof Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), 5,928 micrograms of hydrocarbons and 369
\nmicrograms of particulate matter.<\/p>\n
\"These are the estimated figures in 2005 based on data we have
\nin 2002, taking into consideration the increasing number of motor
\nvehicles in the city and diminishing green open spaces,\"
\nenvironmental expert Ahmad Safrudin told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
According to the coordinator of non-governmental consortium
\nJoint Committee for Leaded Gasoline Phase Out (KPBB), the ideal
\ngreen open space for a densely populated city such as Jakarta is
\n30 percent. The city, however, only has 7 percent green open
\nspaces.<\/p>\n
One pollutant that causes environmentalists most concern is
\nthe high level of particulate matter in the city's air that
\ncauses breathing difficulties, particularly among the elderly and
\nthose suffering heart conditions.<\/p>\n
Even if the implementation of Bylaw No. 2\/2005 goes according
\nto plan, and all obstacles have been miraculously smoothed out,
\nit would take at least two to five years until people in the city
\ncould breathe the fresh air they deserve.<\/p>\n
\"But there are so many aspects to be considered, obstacles to
\novercome, that frankly we are pessimistic that it will happen at
\nall,\" Ahmad, who is also chief executive of the Indonesian Lead
\nInformation Center, said.<\/p>\n
Bylaw No. 2\/2005 deals with overcoming air pollution by, among
\nother things, controlling vehicle gas emissions and by the use of
\ngas in all public transportation vehicles in the city.<\/p>\n
Controlling emission levels in motor vehicles should be one of
\nthe easiest regulations to implement, especially since several
\nregulations controlling this aspect have been issued since 1999.<\/p>\n
Gubernatorial Instruction No. 24 for example, was issued in
\n1999 for the Jakarta Environmental Impact Management Agency
\n(Bapedalda) for the application of an inspection and maintenance
\nsystem (INM), and in 2000 Gubernatorial Decree No. 1041 on
\nemission quality standards was issued.<\/p>\n
\"Previously all of this was voluntary, but with the bylaw it
\nbecomes mandatory, so enforcement should be easy,\" Ahmad said.<\/p>\n
And yet, nothing is ever so simple. The number of cars in the
\ncity, for example, is estimated to be over 5.5 million, far
\nexceeding the capability of the 108 auto workshops currently
\naccredited to check gas emissions.<\/p>\n
\"And not every auto workshop can do a thorough inspection and
\nmaintenance,\" Ahmad said.<\/p>\n
Substituting conventional fuel for environmentally friendly
\ngas fuel in public transportation poses even more problems,
\nrequiring iron-clad political will and a great deal of
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said that of the 18 constructed fuel stations that
\nprovide gas fuel, only four were still operational. They are on
\nJl. Sumenep in Menteng, Central Jakarta; in the Semanggi area in
\nCentral Jakarta; in Tebet, South Jakarta; and on Jl. D.I.
\nPanjaitan in Cawang, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"And those four use old technology that takes at least 15
\nminutes to fill up the tank of a car, more for buses, making them
\nvery ineffective,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, if all public transportation vehicles used gas fuel,
\nthe level of pollution in the air could be reduced to about 35
\npercent for CO, 40 percent for NOx, 40 percent for hydrocarbons,
\nand 45 percent for particulate matter.<\/p>\n
\"Only then, perhaps, can we increase the number of fresh air
\ndays by at least 35 percent, to three months or more,\" Ahmad
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/clean-fresh-air-remains-a-dream-for-jakarta-1447893297",
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