Children demand cleaner city air

Children demand cleaner city air

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Wearing face masks and unfurling banners, some 100 students from
21 elementary schools throughout Jakarta made an impassioned plea
for cleaner air in the metropolis at the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle on Wednesday.

"A blue sky, fresh air, these are the wishes of the children
of this nation!" they chanted enthusiastically under the
scorching sun despite passing motorists who did not seem to take
notice of them.

As part of the campaign to build people's awareness on air
pollution, the students, accompanied by their teachers, started
the rally by inspecting the City Environmental Management Agency
(BPLHD) air pollution monitoring station located at the traffic
circle that showed a high level of pollutants.

The campaign was organized by Clean Air Partnership (MEB) -- a
forum of local environmental organizations -- in cooperation with
the Jakarta Elementary Education Agency, BPLHD, and international
environmental organizations Swisscontact and Transmedia.

Audrey, 10, a fourth grade student of SD Regina Pacis, said
that she enjoyed taking part in the campaign and hoped that
Jakartans will eventually hear their call.

"I hope I can use all that I've learned from the program to
teach others about the importance of clean air for all of us,"
she said.

MEB chairman P. Soeseno explained that Wednesday's event was
the culmination of a series of campaign programs on promoting
clean air that the group had been conducting since September.

"We have to start raising awareness among the public now,
especially children, because air pollution has a long-term
effect," he said.

During the campaign program, MEB held presentations on clean
air to the students and took them to an automobile plant to learn
about proper vehicle maintenance to reduce emission levels.

A questionnaire by MEB revealed that 80 percent of the
students and their parents were concerned about Jakarta's
worsening air pollution. Some 50 percent pointed out that
motorized vehicles were the main cause of pollution, while 72
percent agreed that the public was responsible.

Soeseno further explained that in continuation of the program,
MEB will ask several high school students to go out on the
streets and act as representatives of promoting clean air.

"Whenever they see a (polluted bus emission), for example,
they will put a sticker on it asking its driver to regularly
maintain the buses," he said.