Unleaded gas on sale, but air pollution still high
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A survey has found that all gas pumps in Greater Jakarta have been selling unleaded gasoline but experts say the capital's air still contains the hazardous substance.
The survey was conducted by the Joint Committee for Leaded Gasoline Phase-out (KPBB) to check the progress of the government's lead-free program, implemented in last July last year, that required all fuel stations in Greater Jakarta to sell unleaded gasoline.
KPBB coordinator Syafei Kadarusman said on Wednesday that the survey had concluded that gasoline taken from 30 fuel stations in Jakarta, Depok, Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang, contained a lead content of less than 0.005 grams per liter, which had surpassed the international tolerable level of 0.013 grams per liter.
The Balongan refinery plant in Cirebon, which started producing unleaded gasoline in June last year, supplies all gas pumps in Greater Jakarta and some in Cirebon, West Java.
In July last year, Governor Sutiyoso and Minister of Environment Sonny Keraf launched the lead-free program for Jakarta and its satellite cities.
The lead, which is the most hazardous substance in gasoline, functions to boost gasoline power (octane). In unleaded gasoline, the function of lead is replaced by another substance called the high octane mogas component (HOMC).
A high lead content in human blood, particularly children, can cause anemia, lower intelligence, cause behavioral problems, affect fertility and disrupt the nervous system.
"We have reached a significant achievement which should be maintained. And the government should continue by phasing-out all leaded gasoline all over the country," Syafei added.
When the phase-out program was launched in 2001, the government set an agenda to phase out leaded gasoline nationally by January 2003.
But, Sahabudin, an official from the directorate of oil and gas at the energy and mineral resources ministry, said that the government had rescheduled its deadline to January 2004 due to financial constraints.
Budi Haryanto, an environmentalist from the University of Indonesia (UI), said though all fuel stations in the capital supplied unleaded gasoline, it did not mean that air in Jakarta was free of lead.
"We know that thousands of vehicles from outside Greater Jakarta come here everyday and they surely emit lead," said Budi.
Ahmad Safruddin of the Jakarta's chapter of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) said that the HOMC substance used in Indonesia, such as reformate, polymer gasoline and RCC gasoline, had a high content of olefin and aromatic.
Like lead, he said, olefin and aromatic was a dirty octane, which could affect both the vehicle machine as well as the health of people in Jakarta.
Budi agreed with Ahmad saying that high content of olefin and aromatic in the air could cause cancer.