Emission levels tightened at four notorious industries<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is tightening the emission levels
\nfor all industries in the country, with a specific emphasis on
\nthe worst polluters in the industries of cement, pulp and paper,
\ncoal-generated power and steel and iron works.<\/p>\n
In a new decree announced by State Minister of Environment
\nSarwono Kusumaatmadja yesterday, the government set more specific
\nemission levels for the four industries.<\/p>\n
The decree, signed last month, replaces the previous
\nregulations introduced in 1988.<\/p>\n
The government jumped ahead of the industrial plants by
\nsetting a target date for the maximum levels of emissions in the
\nyear 2000.<\/p>\n
The decree also sets the quality standards of emission for
\nmobile and immobile sources.<\/p>\n
The new decree controls the levels of such emissions from
\nammonia, chlorine gas, chloride hydrogen, particles and sulfur
\ndioxide to antimony, zinc and black lead.<\/p>\n
The government also set more specific categories of emission
\nlevels for the four industries.<\/p>\n
Nabiel Makarim, the deputy for pollution control at the
\nEnvironmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal), said the
\ngovernment is looking at the possibility of specific emission
\nstandards for other industries.<\/p>\n
Nabiel explained that the levels were based on \"best practical
\ncontrol technology\" rather than the \"carrying capacity of the
\nenvironment\", which is more ideal but difficult to ascertain.<\/p>\n
The chosen approach takes into consideration the existing
\ntechnology applied in the industries, he said.<\/p>\n
The carrying capacity of an area is the maximum number of
\nindividuals of a species that can be supported by that area.<\/p>\n
\"It is very difficult to establish laws which strictly abide
\nby the environment's carrying capacity because factors such as
\nwind and weather must be accounted for. Thus, we could end up,
\nfor instance, with 12 different standards for each month of the
\nyear,\" Nabiel said, adding that the carrying capacity of a
\nlocation was still the best way to establish such a regulation.<\/p>\n
\"We anticipate that by the year 2000 industries will have more
\nadvanced technologies in waste treatment and management,\" Nabiel
\nsaid, referring to the tighter emission levels already set by the
\ngovernment for that year.<\/p>\n
He said quality standard figures were based on joint studies
\nbetween Bapedal and industry representatives, including the four
\nindustries that are subject to the new rule.<\/p>\n
Nabiel said between 50 to 70 percent of the cement, pulp and
\npaper, coal-generated power plants and steel and iron-work
\nindustries were equipped to go by the new standards.<\/p>\n
Individual quality standards could be applied, he added, in
\nsuch cases where an environment could easily be polluted even
\nwith the industry operating below the quality standard level.
\n(pwn)<\/p>",
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