Jakarta dwellers bear the brunt of pollution
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
People who ride in chauffeured and air-conditioned cars are, perhaps, only aware of air pollution in Jakarta as being a blanket of haze perpetually hanging over the city.
However, for those who cruise the capital's streets on motorcycles, the pollution is a clear and present danger.
For those who rely on motorbikes, their daily trips through the city streets are often far from being pleasant as they brave the scorching sun and choking exhaust fumes emitted by motor vehicles.
"The smoke is thick and suffocating and it makes my eyes hurt during the night, although I always cover my face when I'm on the road," said Hadiyanto, an employee who usually rides a motorbike to get to his office in West Jakarta.
He said a double ply cover he wore under his helmet and over his face was of little use as the fumes always managed to get through.
"However, I believe it will help me avoid respiratory problems in the long run," he said.
The poor quality of Jakarta's air has for years been irking another Jakarta dweller, Ridwan Nainggolan, who runs a repair shop on Jl. Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta.
"The air is so polluted, I can only breath easily when I leave the city. You can tell how bad the city's air pollution is by comparing it with that of other cities," he said.
Hadiyanto and Ridwan are among the Jakarta residents who have to bear the brunt of the worsening air pollution produced by gas emissions from motor vehicles.
Both have to inhale polluted air laden with hazardous substances such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and lead.
"The 2003 State of the Environment Report" in Indonesia released by the Office of the State Minister for the Environment revealed that Jakarta was one of five cities in the country whose air contains toxic elements above the tolerable level of 150 microgram/m3.
Jakarta has 57 days per year when the level of toxins in its air exceeds the level.
The report says that vehicular emissions are the largest contributors to the deteriorating quality of air in the capital.
In 2003, Jakarta registered 4.148 million motor vehicles. Motorcycles account for 55.7 percent of the figure, while private cars make up 29.19 percent.
The report also revealed that the water from the rivers running through the capital was dangerous for human consumption given the high concentration of coliform bacteria, as well as chemical waste.
The water from the Ciliwung river, for instance, could no longer be used for human consumption. "A sample of water taken from the river shows that the biological oxygen demand (BOD) was 62.7 mg/L, far above the tolerable level of 2 mg/L."
Ground water, the last resort for many Jakarta residents, is no longer dependable as the decrease in the groundwater level has reached an alarming level, the report says.
"The groundwater level in Jakarta has dropped to 48 meters below sea level," the report says, adding that the groundwater level in other cities, such as Semarang, Central Java, was 28 meters.