Resources and necessities<\/p>\n
What comes first: health or mobility? Health, the non-
\ngovernmental organizations say. Mobility, the government
\ncounters. These two positions, immaterial as they may seem to
\nsome given the country's current circumstances, are at the core
\nof Indonesia's latest dissonance.<\/p>\n
Indonesian environmentalists have long campaigned for a ban on
\nthe use of leaded gasoline, which they say is responsible for
\npushing pollution levels in Jakarta and other major cities to
\nlevels that are well above the thresholds of tolerance. In
\nJakarta, studies have found pollution levels reaching 0.2 to 1.8
\nmicrograms per cubic meter. The tolerable level set by the World
\nHealth Organization is 0.5<\/p>\n
As lead is emitted with exhaust fumes in the form of extremely
\nfine particles, it is easily inhaled. Once the lead enters the
\nbody, it can cause serious health problems -- from respiratory
\nproblems to brain damage in children. The social cost that air
\npollution inflicts on society is estimated to reach some US$62.4
\nmillion a year.<\/p>\n
Confronted with such data, the minister of energy and mineral
\nresources agreed during an environmental workshop last February
\nto ban leaded gasoline in Greater Jakarta beginning in June next
\nyear, with the ultimate goal of making the whole country free of
\nleaded gasoline by January 2003.<\/p>\n
Last Tuesday, however, the government appeared to be going
\nback on its pledge, saying it was unlikely the move would be
\nimplemented any time in the near future as there were more
\npressing demands on the country's limited resources.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dipo
\nAlam said the government remains supportive of the idea, but \"the
\ngovernment has its own priorities\", which, among other things,
\nwas promoting social safety net programs.<\/p>\n
However, while the government was shirking its responsibility
\nto protect the environment and stop the poisoning of its
\ncitizens, support came on Thursday from House of Representatives
\nCommission VIII for science, technology and the environment.<\/p>\n
In a hearing with the Forum for the Phasing Out of Leaded
\nGasoline, commission chairman Irwan Prayitno, of the Reform
\nFaction, said the commission would urge the government, in
\nparticular the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the
\nOffice of the State Minister of the Environment to draw up short
\nand long-term plans to make Jakarta free of leaded gasoline by
\nJune next year and the whole country by January 2003, as agreed.<\/p>\n
It is true that a ban on leaded gasoline has financial
\nimplications that might be hard on the country under present
\ncircumstances. Yet one could question the wisdom of putting off
\nthe ban -- which means putting the public's health on the
\nback burner -- in favor of other projects such as, say, building
\na subway for Jakarta, which government officials have mentioned
\nas one of the \"more pressing priorities\" for the government.<\/p>\n
Like Irwan Prayitno, many Indonesians feel that the
\ngovernment's excuse of limited resources is rather weak given the
\nfact that there are many investors willing to put their money in
\nsupport of the project, even at marginal profits of between 2
\npercent and 3 percent. According to estimates made by several
\nnon-governmental organizations, a shift from leaded to unleaded
\ngasoline would cost the country somewhere between $190 million
\nand $230 million.<\/p>\n
As for those who are forced by economic necessity to daily
\nroam the streets of Jakarta, the answer to the problem is clear
\nenough. The smog that hangs over the city is getting thicker and
\nblacker by the day as private cars, buses and trucks continue to
\nbelch their black exhaust fumes into the air, unpunished.
\nMeanwhile, official promises to put a stop to air pollution by
\ncars -- the biggest source of pollution -- have come to nothing,
\nexcept for the testing of the exhausts of a few cars as a token
\nof concern to the public.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the government is pressed for resources. The
\nimportant point to remember, though, is that a major requirement
\nfor making Jakarta livable is to clean up its air. A ban on
\nleaded gasoline in this city should therefore not be seen as a
\nluxury, but rather as a necessity that cannot be delayed much
\nlonger. Let's hope the authorities will give the problem the
\nconsideration it deserves and find a way to honor its agreement
\nbefore the problem becomes too complicated to solve.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/resources-and-necessities-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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