Many cars fail emission tests

JAKARTA (JP): About 33 percent of 1,627 vehicles that underwent emission tests last month failed to meet the test's minimum requirements, an official has said.

Kosasih, spokesman of the city environment office, said Tuesday that the vehicles tested consisted of 754 diesel-fueled cars and 873 gasoline-fueled cars.

The tests were conducted at the Ancol dreamland area, the Ancol industrial site, Marunda, the Pluit industrial site and the Tanjung Priok industrial plot -- all in North Jakarta -- and the Pulogadung industrial plot, Cakung and Kelapa Gading in East Jakarta.

"We hope to run another test this year ... so we can routinely check on the roadworthiness of vehicles in the city," he said.

"With a routine test and a campaign raising the dangers of air pollution, we hope the failure rate in future vehicle emission tests can be reduced," Kosasih said.

The vehicle emission test was part of the city's Blue Sky program.

Meanwhile, Ali Rozi, the head of the city environment control and management agency announced Tuesday that the amount of dust in the air in Jakarta was currently nine times higher than prescribed healthy levels despite the coming monsoon season.

"Based on our air pollution detection control panel, the dust content in the city's air has exceeded the safe level ... prescribed in gubernatorial decree No. 587/1990," Ali said.

"The high level of dust content has been caused mainly by the prolonged dry season, the huge number of vehicles operating in the city and the large number of development projects in certain areas here," he said.

The agency has installed 12 control stations in Jakarta to routinely check on air quality.

Ali said exceedingly high levels of dust had been detected at Senayan, Rawa Buaya, Istiqlal Mosque, Dufan, Radio Dalam and Pulogadung. (edt)