Reducing air pollution in Jakarta<\/p>\n
Serious attention must be paid to the problem of air in
\npollution in Jakarta. A study published by the United Nations
\nDevelopment Program at the end of last year indicates that air
\npollution in the Indonesian capital now ranks third in the world
\nafter Mexico City and Bangkok.<\/p>\n
This pollution gravely endangers the general health of people
\nand causes great losses. If in 1990, according to a World Bank
\nstudy, air pollution in Jakarta caused a loss of Rp 1 trillion,
\nthe monetary extent of this year's loss is easy to imagine since
\nabout 70 percent of the pollution comes from motor vehicles,
\nwhose numbers keep increasing every year.<\/p>\n
We know that it costs money to switch from leaded to unleaded
\ngasoline. Besides, some people could be harmed because unleaded
\ngas is believed to be less suitable to older cars. Nevertheless
\nwe believe this cost is probably lower than that of allowing the
\npollution to continue to increase unchecked.<\/p>\n
We hope nobody will make a political issue out of this problem
\nby saying, for instance, that such a solution is hurtful to the
\npoor, who can afford to own only older cars. The harmful effects
\nof pollution make no distinctions between rich and poor. In fact
\nit is usually the poor, who usually live in the most heavily
\npolluted areas, who suffer the most from this added pollution.<\/p>\n
The step that must be taken now is for the government to
\nmuster the courage to initiate the switch from leaded to unleaded
\ngasoline besides promoting the use of compressed natural gas as
\ncar fuel.<\/p>\n
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reducing-air-pollution-in-jakarta-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }