Don't hold breath for clean air in the big smoke
Don't hold breath for clean air in the big smoke
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The City Council is set to endorse the draft bylaw on air
pollution on Friday, but clean air is still long way
off in Jakarta, long listed as one of the world's most polluted
cities.
Councillor Muhayar Rustamudin, chairman of the City Council's
bylaw drafting committee, said on Wednesday that the bylaw would
only come into effect next year.
Muhayar said that the delay was necessary as the
city administration needed time to familiarize the public with
the new bylaw and draft ancillary regulations.
"There are many things the administration has to do after the
approval of the bylaw. Therefore, we will give them a year to
prepare everything," said Muhayar, who is also deputy chairman of
the council's development affairs commission.
Muhayar stressed that the deliberation of the draft bylaw had
finished and the council's staffers were currently duplicating
copies of the bylaw to be distributed to members and the relevant
officials on Friday.
The bylaw stipulates, among other things, that all vehicles
must undergo regular emission tests, and bans smoking in enclosed
public places. Violations of its provisions carry a maximum term
of imprisonment of six months and/or a fine of Rp 50 million
(US$5,500).
Environmentalists have welcomed the move to regulate vehicular
and industrial emissions so as to reduce air pollution in the
capital -- which is considered the third most polluted city in
the world after Bangkok and Mexico City.
Governor Sutiyoso stressed on Wednesday that his
administration would need time to issue the necessary ancillary
regulations.
"If they are not issued, the bylaw will be useless as it will
be unenforcible. So, we will need time to prepare everything," he
said.
Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) chairman
Kosasih Wirahadikusumah said the preparations would include the
designation of more authorized garages to issue emission
certificates for private vehicles.
Currently, there are only 48 garages authorized by the
administration to carry out emission tests and issue
certificates. They have long been unable to serve the some 4.5
million vehicles in the city.
According to the bylaw, the governor is also authorized to
declare an emergency if air pollution reaches levels that are
dangerous for human health. However, no criteria are given for
the declaring of such an emergency.
A decree issued by the state ministry for the environment on
air pollution standard index classifies the condition of the air
we breath based on five categories -- good, medium, unhealthy,
very unhealthy, and dangerous.
The decree, however, does not state the content of substances
-- molecular particulate (PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur
dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) -- for each
category.
Sutiyoso said he needed to consult with the experts,
particularly in the fields of environmental health, before
issuing a decree setting out an air pollution standard index.