Public urged to help fight air pollution

Public urged to help fight air pollution

JAKARTA (JP): An official called for greater public
participation in fighting air pollution, saying that the
government had already done its best in the campaign.

"The government has done everything possible to reduce air
pollution in big cities such as Jakarta," Margana Koesoemadinata,
director of air pollution control at the Environmental Impact
Management Agency, told a seminar on pollution yesterday.

He dismissed criticism by participants that the government has
yet to establish a proper approach and achieve workable solutions
to the city's pollution problem. He cited the production of
unleaded gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas as examples of the
government's effort.

"The problem is, it's the public who's not interested in using
unleaded gasoline," he said. "Therefore, the government has to
work harder in raising public awareness of, and participation in,
the campaign."

He charged that some publications have discredited the use of
compressed natural gas (CNG) for its alleged detrimental impact
on health and the danger of explosion.

Margana said the publications have contributed to people's
apprehension of the use of CNG gas.

Yesterday's seminar also discussed how people spend more money
to cure diseases brought about by air pollution than to conduct
environmental programs.

Dody Susanto, the chairman of the Foundation of Natural
Resources and Environment Development which held the seminar,
quoted from official data that Indonesia annually spends US$425
million for pollution-related diseases, and 0.5 percent of the
amount for environmental programs.

Trismawan, the director of Jakarta-based PT Blue Bird, the
sole distributor of liquefied petroleum gas, told The Jakarta
Post that 10 years after the gas was introduced as an alternative
to gasoline, there are only 1,450 vehicles operating with the
gas. Most of them are taxis, he added.

Poerwoto of the Agency for the Ecological Assessment of the
Jakarta city administration lamented the lack of a legal base for
the authorities to punish drivers and owners of vehicles whose
emissions exceed the pollution limit.

He said his office is proposing a bill to the Ministry of
Transportation to enforce a law which will enable police to
revoke the operation permits of the offending public transport
vehicles. (16)