Removal of leaded gasoline does little for air pollution

JAKARTA (JP): Leaded gasoline will be removed from the capital starting July 1, but it will do little to reduce the suffocating air pollution in the city, as diesel fuel production in this country remains high.

Phasing out lead from gasoline helps eliminate one of the major air pollutants, as fifty five percent of total fuel needs in Indonesia comes from gasoline, or some 12 million kiloliters.

Diesel fuel, meanwhile, comes next with 44 percent of the country's total fuel needs or 9.6 million kiloliters.

The main consumer of the fuel is public transportation, in particular buses and trucks.

Diesel fuel contains chemicals such as sulfur dioxide or sulfur that cause respiratory problems like pneumonia.

Chief executive of the Committee for Leaded Fuel Eradication Ahmad Safrudin said the sulfur content in diesel fuel in this country is way above the standard.

"The worldwide fuel chapter set the maximum content at 50 ppm (particles per million). But ours is 500 ppm," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Friday.

Annual sulfur emissions from diesel fuel, Ahmad said, is approximately 8,142 tons.

Ahmad added that Indonesia's vehicle and refinery technology has not even reached step zero yet, as set by the European Commission for Economy.

The Commission has set four steps or levels for vehicles using diesel fuel to process the fuel.

It is also imposed for oil refineries producing diesel fuel.

Step zero is for diesel fuel with 500 ppm sulfur content, step one is 300 ppm, step two is 100 ppm and step three is 50 ppm.

"There is no sanction though, from the commission. But as a consequence, we can't export our vehicles as the technology can only use diesel fuel with 500 ppm sulfur content," said Ahmad, who also chairs the Jakarta branch of Indonesian Forum for Environment.

He urged the government to reduce the sulfur content in diesel fuel. The issue had also been discussed, he added, with the Association of Automotive Industries, state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and other related parties.

"The problem for Pertamina is the high cost for refinery," he said, adding that hopefully the sulfur content could be reduced in 2003.

Separately on Friday, Pertamina's information officer Ridwan Nyak Baik said that reducing sulfur content in diesel fuel has yet to be on the company's agenda.

"We are still focusing on the removal of leaded gasoline in the capital in July, which will be followed by the whole of Java on 2002 and the entire country on 2003," he told the Post.

He added, however, that in the future every program will be environmentally friendly as demanded by the public.

Even though the lead, which also causes health problems and IQ loss in children, is to be removed from gasoline, the prices will remain the same under the current levels of government subsidies. (hdn)