"I demand that the emission tests continue," he remarked on the sidelines of his working visit to Cirebon District, West Java, as monitored from a video broadcast in Jakarta on Saturday.
The vice president underscored the importance of putting maximum efforts to reduce the amounts of carbon emissions generated by motorized vehicles, as he believes that they constitute the root cause of the worsening condition of air pollution.
"We are currently promoting emission tests. However, only five percent of vehicle owners in Jakarta have complied with the obligation. Hence, we cannot see a significant impact yet," he remarked.
Bearing that in mind, he pushed all related stakeholders to continue to promote and carry out emission tests on motorized vehicles.
In addition to vehicle-generated emissions, he noted that activities in industrial zones in Jakarta and its surrounding regions contribute to the current bad air condition. ŹHence, he called on parties to pay close attention to this matter.
"We can also improve the air quality by creating more green public spaces and applying 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 remarked.
The government is currently investing significant efforts to handle air pollution in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek).
At a limited meeting on August 14, President Joko Widodo pushed all stakeholders to immediately implement all workable measures aimed at controlling air pollution that included the adoption of a hybrid working system 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 stated that the government will inspect motorized vehicle emission test compliance in the Jabodetabek area.
To push for compliance with the obligation, the government will require people to confirm that their vehicles have passed the test before submitting requests for vehicle registration certificate extension and paying the related taxes, she remarked.
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 Tuesday (August 22).
Through the instruction, Minister Karnavian urged leaders in the Jabodetabek area to collaborate to implement a set of measures to reduce air pollution in the area, including necessitating all vehicle owners in the area to conduct emission tests and
The instruction also stipulates that regional governments should strictly supervise the test compliance.
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Translator: Rangga Pandu, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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