Council discusses clean air bylaw

JAKARTA: The City Council is discussing a draft bylaw on clean air that is expected to become the only legal basis to force private car owners to meet emission standards.

Councillors are scheduled to finish deliberating the bill on Feb. 4.

Head of the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) Kosasih Wirahadikusumah said the city administration would ensure that all vehicles in the city had vehicular emission tests once the draft was passed.

"If we have such bylaw, there is no reason for people to ignore the tests," he said recently.

Experts say vehicle emission accounts for around 70 percent of the air pollution in urban areas. So far, only public transportation and cargo vehicles are required to undergo emission tests. --JP