Last round of 'Blue Sky' emission tests to begin

JAKARTA (JP): The third and last round of vehicle emission testing will begin at 20 sites in Jakarta on March 10 until March 13, head of the city environmental bureau said yesterday.

Bureau head, Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno, said the tests were part of the city's Blue Sky campaign to curb air pollution.

"The law will be enforced after the final emissions campaign," Aboejoewono told The Jakarta Post by phone from Semarang.

He said the law on acceptable emission levels would come into effect in September, at the same time as the 1992 Traffic and Road Transport Law.

He said the bureau did not have the authority to punish the delinquent motorists whose vehicles failed the tests. "The city land transportation agency has the authority to punish delinquent motorists," he said.

He urged all motorists to take care of their vehicles and let them be tested in the last round of tests.

The first round of tests were held last June and the second from Jan. 6 to Jan. 9. In the coming third round five sites will be tested a day.

On March 10 the test sites will be, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta and Jl. Benyamin S., Jl. Gunung Sahari, Jl. KS Tubun and Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard in North Jakarta.

On March 11, Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta, and Jl. Pemuda, Jl. Pondok Gede, Jl. Raya Bekasi and Jl. Raya Bogor in East Jakarta will be tested.

On March 12, tests will be conducted on Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta and Jl. Rawa Bambu Panjang, Jl. KH Mansyur, Jl. Pahlawan, Jl. Warung Jati Barat in South Jakarta.

On March 13, the last tests will be carried out on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta, Jl. Perjuangan, Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Kelapa Dua Raya, and Jl. Lingkar Luar -- all in West Jakarta.

The tests record the level of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emitted by vehicles using gasoline and how much smoke vehicles using diesel fuel emit.

The yet to be implemented 1990 gubernatorial decree states the tolerable limit of carbon monoxide (CO) content in emissions of vehicles using gasoline is 4.5 percent, and 1.200 ppm (parts per- million) for hydrocarbon (HC).

The bureau has distributed questionnaires to motorists to send to PT Pos Indonesia by March 1. They will be processed by state research firm PT Sucofindo. The questions are on respondents' knowledge and opinion of Jakarta's air pollution.

The agency and PT Sucofindo will announce the number of questionnaires returned, and the results of the survey on March 26.

Results from the second round of tests at 19 sites from Jan. 6 to Jan. 9 show 2,291 of the 5,442 vehicles failed.

"Most of the vehicles that failed the tests were taxis and public transport vehicles using diesel fuel," Aboejoewono said.

As many as 3,329 of the 5,442 vehicles tested used gasoline and the remaining 2,113 used diesel fuel.

In June last year, 67 percent of the 1,307 vehicles tested failed. (ste)