Much ado about a watered down law
Indonesian capital Jakarta, the city with the world's third worst air quality after Mexico and Bangkok, will ostensibly reap the benefits of an air pollution bylaw soon. But what is unfortunate is the removal of a crucial provision for vehicular emission cut in the final bylaw approved recently by Jakarta's city council. This, when air pollution has reached an alarming level in the city: its air was clean for just 51 days in the first eight months of 2004.
Vehicular emissions contribute 70 per cent of air pollution in the city with 4.5 million motorised vehicles. The bylaw necessitates emission tests for motorised vehicles at least once every six months and use of compressed natural gas (cng) in public transport and city council vehicles. It also authorises the city governor to designate car free days in specific areas at least once a month. But the important provision that was dropped from the bylaw was on limiting the age of vehicles on the city's roads
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