Jakarta struggles to rid itself of leaded gasoline

Jakarta struggles to rid itself of leaded gasoline

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): If things go as planned, Jakarta will scrap
leaded fuel to reduce the level of its notorious choking air
pollution next year.

Leaded gasoline will be phased out in the Greater Jakarta area
next year and other provinces in Java will follow in 2002. Under
the plan, leaded fuel will be finished in Indonesia in 2003.

It is a long-awaited policy. For years, experts have warned
that pollutants from vehicles using leaded fuel are hazardous to
health. It imperils the respiratory and neurological systems and
affects children's IQ levels.

In developed countries, the phasing out of leaded gasoline did
not cause significant problems because of greater consumer
purchasing power.

In Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia, the plan is yet to be
publicized. People are confused because they do not know what it
will mean to their vehicles and to the owners.

"I don't know about it (the plan). When will it start?" asked
Hadi Andriyanto, a Kijang car owner, when asked if he was aware
of the plan.

Another car owner asked if unleaded fuel would have unwanted
effects on his engine. "What makes it different from 'regular'
fuel?" asked Aswanto.

Motorists' ignorance of the properties of unleaded gasoline is
not surprising. Although unleaded fuel is available in most gas
stations (Super TT was introduced in 1995), not many motorists
use it because it is expensive -- Rp 1,600 per liter. Leaded
gasoline is cheaper -- Rp 1,000 per liter.

The government plans to increase fuel prices this July after a
three-month delay from its original April schedule. After the
increase, premium will be sold at Rp 1,150, still cheaper than
unleaded gasoline.

About half of the owners of motorized vehicles in Indonesia
live in Jakarta, according to Dollaris Riauaty, Clean Air Project
advisor of the Swiss-based international environmental agency
Swisscontact.

Riauaty is well aware of the unpopularity of unleaded
gasoline.

"If I were asked whether we have unleaded gasoline, I would
say, no. Super TT is only used by a very small number of vehicle
owners. If most motorists still use leaded gasoline, it means we
don't have unleaded gasoline," said the clean air project
advisor.

She revealed that only 0.04 percent of motorists throughout
the country use Super TT while 96 percent prefer using leaded
gasoline. In 1997/1998, the total consumption of premium was
11,039,800 kiloliters, while Super TT was only 29,824 kiloliters.

"Anyway, Super TT is produced with high octane, 98. Who uses
such fuel? Maybe only luxury cars with high-speed engines, or
racing cars," said Riauaty, who participated in a public debate
on emission checks here last Tuesday.

The public debate was jointly organized by Swisscontact, the
Jakarta administration and Qipra Galang Kualita, an NGO promoting
clean air in the capital.

Despite the unpopularity of unleaded fuel, the plan to reduce
the use of leaded gasoline will go forward.

"I'm sure there will be no problem in phasing out leaded
gasoline in Greater Jakarta next year since I heard that
Pertamina is prepared for it," Riauaty said.

Under the plan, Pertamina will introduce lead-free premium
gasoline. "So Super TT and Premix are still available along with
unleaded premium fuel," she said.

"And motorists should not be worried about the plan. They
won't face any problems using unleaded gasoline at all."

There is worry that using unleaded gasoline will be a massive
burden on vehicle owners because of the higher costs. In reality,
the use of unleaded gasoline reduces vehicle maintenance costs
and for old cars, there's a cheap additive to make it able to use
unleaded gasoline.

The Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries says that
98 percent of cars made after 1984 can use unleaded gasoline.

In stages

The phasing out of leaded gasoline nationwide will be done in
stages considering the limited capacity of Pertamina's refinery.

At present, Pertamina's Balongan refinery in Indramayu, West
Java, produces unleaded fuel that comprises only 30 percent of
its total product.

"Balongan's production is just enough to supply unleaded fuel
for the Greater Jakarta area," Riauaty said. "And it means that
we can go on with the plan to phase out leaded gasoline in the
city next year."

To phase-out leaded gasoline throughout the country, there's a
need for more refineries producing unleaded gasoline.

Pertamina earlier proposed the construction of three catalytic
reformer units to produce high octane mogas component (HOMC), in
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Musi, South Sumatra; and Cilacap,
Central Java. But construction has not begun due to financial
problems.

Urgent

The urgent need to phase out leaded gasoline was also stressed
by head of Jakarta administration's environmental impact
management agency, Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno.

Jakarta, he said, is the right place to start phasing out
leaded gasoline. Citing an example, he said the Philippines began
phasing out leaded gasoline in Manila in 1993.

"All this time, Jakarta has been busy building more and
more... We're late (in phasing out leaded gasoline). But my
experiences in dealing with environmental issues are that many
people are telmi (slow in comprehending an issue). When it's too
late, they will panic and then want to do something about it. But
if we warn them in advance, they will ignore it," Aboejoewono
said.

Jakarta ranks third as the most polluted city in the world
after Mexico City and Bangkok. Neighboring countries, such as
Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, have moved
faster. Either they have eliminated leaded gasoline completely,
or they already have begun to phase it out.

"Our rank might move to second as Bangkok now has introduced
the use of Mass Rapid Transit that will definitely reduce the use
of private cars and eventually reduce car emissions," Aboejoewono
said.

As part of its campaign to reduce car emissions, the Jakarta
administration in cooperation with NGOs have initiated a routine
survey to check on emission levels of vehicles.

Currently, the administration, in cooperation with
Swisscontact, has arranged for free testing until May 14 in 117
gas stations.

In the future, each station will be equipped with a
computerized gauge, which will display the vehicles' emission
levels automatically. The stations and operators are required to
have a certificate before they are allowed to check cars. An
online computer system will then link the stations to the city
administration.

"Starting January next year, we will require an emission-free
certificate from vehicle owners wanting to obtain vehicle
documents," Aboejoewono said.

The city administration has set maximum standard emission
levels for vehicles using gasoline at 4.5 percent carbon
monoxide, 11 percent carbon dioxide, 2 percent oxygen and 1,200
ppm (parts per million) hydrocarbon.