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.