Guidelines to be set up for emission tests
Guidelines to be set up for emission tests
JAKARTA (JP): The administration is to set up guidelines on
vehicle emission tests in Jakarta, according to the head of the
city's environmental bureau, Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno.
A special team involving staff from the city's Environmental
Bureau, Environmental Control and Management Agency, Land
Transportation Agency and Police Headquarters has already been
formed to collect ideas for the guidelines, Aboejoewono told
reporters yesterday.
The guidelines will set out the vehicle emission test
procedures, such as which auto repair shops will be allowed to
conduct the test and the specifications of tools to be used.
"The guidelines are part of the city's Blue Sky program and
the national air cleanliness movement," Aboejoewono said.
He said the guidelines were in accordance with the 1992
Traffic Law which states that all vehicles must past
roadworthiness tests.
Over the past two years, the administration has already
conducted emission tests on both public and privately owned
vehicles at selected spots in and around the capital.
The results were hardly encouraging.
Only 54.3 percent of 10,880 vehicles checked in the first
three months of this year, for example, passed the test.
The examination found vehicles using diesel fuel had the
highest failure rate, at 56 percent. Gasoline-powered cars had a
failure rate of 39 percent.
It was also revealed that nearly a third of taxis which use
the supposedly clean petroleum gas failed the emission test.
The test confirmed that the older the vehicle, the more likely
it was to fail the test. Fifty-seven percent of the vehicles run
on gasoline made before 1980 failed, compared with 53 percent of
those made between 1980 and 1985.
"With the results of the trial, I believe that it is urgent
for us to have an official law. It is important to improve public
awareness about the need to reduce poisonous gasses emitted by
vehicle engines," Aboejoewono said.
The guidelines are also expected to compel vehicle owners who
want to renew their cars' plate registrations to subject their
vehicle to an emission test.
The idea, however, was dismissed by the Indonesian Forum for
Environment, Walhi.
Walhi executive Maya Farah said: "I agree with the emission
tests, but don't make it a requirement for renewing car
registration numbers. It will just create room for officials to
collect bribes."
She suggested the administration should concentrate more on
upgrading public transportation and reducing the number of
private cars.
"If we have comfortable public transportation, people will
choose to ride a bus rather than using their own car," she said.
(07)