Campaign starts to curb air pollution
SEMARANG (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja launched a national campaign aimed at curbing air pollution caused by motorized vehicles and industries.
The Langit Biru (Blue Sky) campaign is primarily intended to improve public awareness about the need to reduce poisonous gases emitted by engines.
The Environmental Impact Management Agency designed the campaign in 1992 to address increased air pollution caused by the growth in industrial and transportation activities.
The Blue Sky campaign will be implemented in major industrial cities such as Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya.
"Compared to its growth and development, Semarang's air is relatively clean. With the program, Semarang's air is expected to be cleaner than Jakarta's," Sarwono said.
The campaign will focus on monitoring pollutant sources and improving public awareness on the need to maintain clean air, the minister said.
Thirty-four companies in Semarang, Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar committed to reducing hazardous gas emissions to the tolerable limit yesterday. The agency will monitor their activities to ensure compliance.
Control over motorized vehicles include diversifying energy sources by shifting from gasoline to compressed natural gas (CNG) -- claimed to produce less emissions compared to regular fuel -- starting with public transportation such as taxis.
A total of 250 Kosti taxi owners in Surakarta and Semarang signed an agreement with CNG distributor PT Otogas Karya Pratama on the use of CNG.
Though it is expected that private vehicles will eventually use CNG, the minister said that popularizing CNG must wait until facilities to produce the gas is sufficient.
"We have sufficient amounts of natural gas but not enough facilities to process it," Sarwono told reporters.
Severe air pollution may cause death, lung disease, heart and respiratory problems, headache, eye irritation, ear and nasal irritation, and mental retardation among children.
Sarwono also urged provincial administrations to take a preventive approach in handling environmental concerns, particularly pollution, instead of being reactive.
The public's environmental concern seems to have improved as people longer tolerate factories which handle their industrial waste carelessly, he said.
The minister called for cautious reports on environmental issues, as unproportional reports could be manipulated for non- environmental purposes by certain interest groups.
He recalled a time when a group of people claiming to be affected by the disposal of hazardous waste staged a protest at his office in Jakarta. The demonstrators did not demand environmental solutions but greater democracy instead, he said.
"Not all people who are upset have political motivation," he added but did not elaborate. (14)