Vice President Ma'ruf Amin called for stronger carbon emission test implementation on motorized vehicles to reduce air pollution in Jakarta and surrounding areas.
“I demand that the emission continue,” he remarked during a working visit to Cirebon District in West Java on Aug. 26.
The vice president emphasized the importance of putting maximum efforts to reduce carbon emissions from motorized vehicles, as he believes that they are the root cause of the worsening condition of air pollution.
Currently, the government is promoting the emission tests, but only 5% of vehicle owners in Jakarta have complied with the obligation, indicating a lack of significant impact.
Bearing that in mind, he urged all related stakeholders to continue to promote and conduct emission tests on motorized vehicles.
In addition to vehicle-generated emissions, activities in industrial zones in Jakarta and its surrounding regions contribute to the current poor air quality. Thus, he called on parties to pay more attention to this issue.
"We can also improve the air quality by creating more green public spaces and adopting a work-from-home working system. However, we should pay close attention to the two most influential sectors to air pollution, namely transportation and industrial (zones)," he said.
The government is currently investing significant efforts to address air pollution in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek).
At a limited meeting on Aug. 14, President Widodo urged stakeholders to implement all workable air pollution control measures, including the adoption of a hybrid working systems and dissemination of information to the public on the importance of emission reduction.
On the same day, Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said that the government plans to inspect motorized vehicle emissions test compliance in the Jabodetabek area.
To push for the compliance with the obligation, the government will require the public to confirm that their vehicles have passed the test before submitting requests for vehicle registration certificate extension and paying the related taxes, she added.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has issued the Instruction of Home Affairs Minister No. 2 of 2023 regarding the handling of air pollution in Jabodetabek that came into effect on Aug. 22.
Through this instruction, Minister Karnavian urged authorities in the Jabodetabek area to collaborate on implementing a set of measures to reduce air pollution, including requiring all vehicle owners in the area to carry out emission tests and asking regional governments to strictly supervise the test compliance.
