60% of public transport vehicles are polluters

60% of public transport vehicles are polluters

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A recent survey revealed that nearly 60 percent of 760 public
vehicles taken as a sample in the study produced intolerable
emission levels although they have passed the roadworthy test
conducted by the Jakarta Transportation Agency.

During roadworthy tests all public vehicles are required to
have tolerable exhaust emission levels as stipulated in
Gubernatorial Decree No. 1041/2000 on vehicular emission
standards.

"The result of the survey shows that vehicular emissions of
public vehicles were not checked properly during the roadworthy
tests," general affairs officer of the Clean Air Care Generation
(GPUB) Dian Hasti told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The survey was jointly organized from May 30 to June 3 by
several clean air campaigning organizations, including the GPUB,
Swisscontact's Clean Air Project and the Jakarta Transportation
Agency.

Dian said the organizers tested exhaust emissions of 1,020
public vehicles as samples, but they could obtain valid data from
only 760 of them -- 213 vehicles had carburetor engines, 39 had
fuel-injection engines, and 508 had diesel engines.

The result of the survey also indicated that public vehicles
with fuel-injection engines produced the cleanest emission. From
39 total samples of the survey, only the emissions of six
vehicles failed to fulfill the existing standards.

Meanwhile, vehicles with a carburetor engine produced the
dirtiest emissions. Around 87 percent of 213 such vehicles
produced intolerable emissions.

Surprisingly, however, according to the survey, 52 percent of
508 vehicles with diesel engines had exhaust emission levels that
complied with acceptable emission standards. Diesel engines
produce visible black smoke and are often perceived as the
dirtiest of vehicles in terms of emission levels.

According to the Gubernatorial Decree No. 1041/2000, emission
standards of motorized vehicles are based on their respective
engine system and age.

As an example, the acceptable emission standard of vehicles
with carburetor engines produced before 1985 is 4 percent for
carbon monoxide (CO) and 1,000 parts per million (ppm) for
Hydrocarbon (HC).

Meanwhile, emission standards of vehicles with injection
engines produced between 1986 and 1995 are 3 percent for CO, and
600 ppm for HC.

Dian said that the clean air organizations conducted the
survey once a year to evaluate the quality of Jakarta's air,
which is ranked the third worst in the world after Mexico City
and Bangkok.

"We do not see any improvement in air quality in Jakarta from
year to year. It means that all stakeholders must work harder,"
she said.

Currently, only public and cargo vehicles are required to have
their vehicular emissions checked, according to Law No. 14/1992
on transportation.

The city approved Bylaw No. 2/2005 on Air Pollution Control in
February, which requires all vehicles, including private ones to
take emission tests. The bylaw will be effective starting in
February next year.