'No easy solution to air pollution'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A researcher suggested yesterday that the
\ngovernment take a holistic, rather than a technical, approach to
\nreducing air pollution, before worrying about using unleaded or
\nleaded fuel.<\/p>\n
Kardono, a researcher at the Agency for the Assessment and
\nApplication of Technology (BPPT), said there was no easy solution
\nto air pollution. Unleaded fuel was not necessarily a better way
\nto reduce pollution, he said at a seminar in Kebon Sirih, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"This, however, doesn't mean that its usage shouldn't be
\npromoted,\" he told a lively audience who debated his article
\nwhich was published recently in The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
In his article, Kardono said that the production and use of
\nmore expensive unleaded fuels posed environmental problems which
\ncould be more dangerous than the pollution caused by leaded fuel.<\/p>\n
Kardono agreed with a student at the seminar who said that
\nsimply changing to unleaded gasoline would do nothing for the
\nquality of Jakarta's or other cities' air unless all gasoline
\nengines were fitted with catalytic converters, which are found in
\nmost modern cars.<\/p>\n
The student also said that most people would prefer to use
\ncheaper leaded gasoline, and prefer to operate diesel buses and
\nmotorcycles, which are the biggest polluters of big cities.<\/p>\n
The National Seminar on Air Pollution Caused by Motorized
\nVehicles' Emission was held by the Environmental Impact
\nManagement Agency (Bapedal) and the United Nations' Information
\nCenter.<\/p>\n
Kardono urged policy makers to start thinking of ways to
\nensure efficient energy consumption, pointing out that every form
\nof energy consumption released pollution.<\/p>\n
Participants agreed that technical and legal approaches to
\nreducing pollution would hardly touch the air pollution problem,
\ngiven poor public awareness and lax law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Kardono cited the three-in-one policy applied in Jakarta's
\nthoroughfares, which he said did nothing other than move traffic
\ncongestion from one place to another. It has not solved the
\nproblems of traffic congestion or energy waste as was intended.<\/p>\n
\"People deal with the policy simply by taking different
\nroutes,\" Kardono said.<\/p>\n
The three-in-one policy requires private cars to carry over
\nthree passengers when traveling along Jalan Gatot Subroto, Jalan
\nSudirman and Jalan Thamrin between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on
\nweekdays.<\/p>\n
Disputes over the policy's effectiveness have risen and ebbed
\nover the years. City administrators still consider it the best
\nway to reduce traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
Bapedal deputy Nabiel Makarim said people's high tolerance of
\npollution was an obstacle preventing public awareness. (14)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-easy-solution-to-air-pollution-1447893297",
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