Government moves to protect ozone<\/p>\n
Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
To get in step with a number of environmental conventions, the
\ngovernment will begin restricting the entrance of ozone depleting
\nsubstances (ODS) into the country.<\/p>\n
The Office of the State Minister for the Environment and the
\nDirectorate General of Customs and Excise signed a memorandum of
\nunderstanding here on Monday to jointly control, prevent, detect
\nand examine the documentation of ODS arriving in the country.<\/p>\n
Under the eight-point agreement, the environmental ministry
\nwill train customs and excise officials to increase their
\ncapacity to identify these substances.<\/p>\n
The deputy to the environmental minister, Masnellyarti Hilman,
\nsaid the MoU was in compliance with Vienna Convention for the
\nProtection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on
\nSubstances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which were ratified by
\nIndonesia in 1992.<\/p>\n
In April, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration
\nratified the Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on
\nSubstances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, according to a
\ngovernment website.<\/p>\n
\"Since we are bound to the conventions, our duty is to
\ndecrease the importation of such substances,\" Masnellyarti said
\nafter the signing ceremony.<\/p>\n
She said the country's consumption of ODS was under 0.3
\nkilograms per capita per year, but there was a large amount of
\nillegally imported ODS circulating in the domestic market.<\/p>\n
Sigit Edi Pratiknyo, the state ministry's program manager for
\nsectoral planning, management and coordination, said 400 tons to
\n500 tons of ODS were imported legally each year, but at least
\n4,000 tons of ODS were being traded in Indonesia every year.<\/p>\n
\"That is all to meet the increasing domestic demand,\" he said,
\nadding that people used ODS for items like air conditioners and
\nrefrigerators.<\/p>\n
\"From a dozen kinds of ODS, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the
\nmost commonly used in daily activities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sigit said he believed restricting ODS imports was the most
\neffective way to reduce the circulation of the substances in the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"Only substances like methyl bromide are conditionally allowed
\nto be imported because this is still used as a low-boiling
\nsolvent and as a refrigerant and fumigant, he said.<\/p>\n
During the signing ceremony for the memorandum of
\nunderstanding, officials from the environmental ministry
\npresented 20 refrigerant identifier devices to the customs and
\nexcise director general, Eddy Abdurrachman, to be used to help
\nidentify ODS at entry points across Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Eddy said he would install the US$2,000 devices in major
\nairports and seaports across the country.<\/p>\n
\"We will place them in Jakarta, North Sumatra, Bali and South
\nSulawesi. But that does not mean we will not install similar
\ndevices in smaller ports,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Eddy said his office eventually wanted to install the devices
\nin at least 112 entry points throughout the country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-moves-to-protect-ozone-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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