Minister calls for efficiency to reduce air pollution

Minister calls for efficiency to reduce air pollution

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja called yesterday for efficiency in the production
process to minimize urban air pollution.

Factories should improve their production management to reduce
the level of gas emissions and pollutant substances, he said when
addressing a seminar on air pollution control organized by the
state-owned oil company Pertamina.

Sarwono said the government's Langit Biru (Blue Sky) campaign
should be made a success.

The clean air campaign, which was inspired by a similar drive
in Tokyo, has been implemented in major industrial cities in
Java, such as Greater Jakarta and Semarang.

According to Sarwono, air pollution in Indonesian major cities
has reached an alarming level.

In Greater Jakarta, for example, an estimated 400,000 tons of
pollutants from vehicles, industrial plants and the burning of
household waste are released into the air every year.

"Unless precautionary measures are taken as now, Indonesia
would be overwhelmed by the air pollution," Sarwono said as
quoted by Antara.

Beside the zero emission drive, the government also promotes
"industrial forestry", which requires factory management to grow
trees around their plant to contain pollution.

Sarwono has urged the fuel industry to steadily reduce
pollutant contents in their products.

Official statistics show that in 1995, transportation
activities in the Greater Jakarta produced 473 tons of
pollutants, industry 22,000 tons and household 8,184 tons.

Faisal Abda'oe, Pertamina president director, said his firm
has taken concrete actions to help curb air pollution.

Pertamina recently stopped producing Super-98 gasoline, whose
lead content reached 2.5 milliliters/gallon, and replaced it with
premium with a lead content of 1.5 milliliters/gallon.

This year, Pertamina will sell Premix with a lead content of
only one milliliter/gallon, he said. (pan)