Worst air polluters are vehicles

JAKARTA (JP): Three million motorized vehicles contribute up to 70 percent of air pollution in this city of 10 million people, a government official has said.

Prawoto S. Danoemihardja, chief of the city's Environmental Impact Management Agency, said over the weekend that almost all the vehicles use leaded gasoline.

Two million of the vehicles are motorbikes and bajaj (motorized pedicabs). The rest are private and public transportation vehicles, Prawoto said.

According to figures released by the agency, their number has grown by 10.1 percent over the past five years.

"Leaded fuel should be phased out and the less-precarious Compressed Natural Gas, Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas should be phased in," he said, reported Antara.

Prawoto said what worsens the vehicles' level of toxic fumes are a lack of regular maintenance and a widespread use of fake engine oil. (pan)