To Improve Air Quality, the Government is Finalizing Vehicle Emission Test Technicality in Jabodetabek

Illustration. A number of vehicles queue for examination of waste gas emission tests at the DKI Jakarta DLH office, Tuesday, January 26, 2021. (ANTARA-Fakhri Hermansyah)

JAKARTA - The government is preparing technical steps related to the implementation of vehicle emission test compliance raids in the Jabodetabek area. This effort is a quick step to improve air quality due to pollution.

Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked all quick steps to improve air quality to be inventoried at a limited meeting (ratas) at the Jakarta Palace today. In the same limited meeting, Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono made a suggestion regarding emission test raids.

"Earlier the Governor also said that he would soon carry out emission test raids for compliance with motorized vehicle emissions tests. So if we start from DKI or Jabodetabek, then when everything is good, everything will be carried out," said the Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) Siti Nurbaya, confiscated by Antara.

The Minister of Environment and Forestry explained that the awareness of Indonesian citizens to carry out emission tests on private vehicles is very low when compared to other countries.

Vehicle emission tests in Jakarta, he said, only covered 3-10 percent of the total number of vehicles, including in Central Jakarta it only reached 3.86 percent and North Jakarta by 10.69 percent.

According to the Minister of Environment and Forestry, the mandatory emission test is a quick step that can be taken and the results will be felt by the public in overcoming the poor air quality in Jakarta.

"This emission test is a way to force vehicle owners to carry out inspections and maintenance of their own vehicles," said the Minister of Environment and Forestry.

The emission test obligation also applies to official vehicles facilitated by Ministries/Institutions (K/L) and local governments (pemda).

In addition, he said, passing the vehicle emission test would be a requirement if the public renewed their vehicle registration and paid vehicle tax.

Accordingly, the DKI Jakarta Environment Agency (LH) and Transportation Agency (Dishub) have formed a task force (taskgas) with the National Police Traffic Corps to carry out raids and impose sanctions on vehicle owners who have not had emission tests.

The emission test system owned by the DKI Jakarta LH Service is planned to be directly connected to the National Police's electronic ticketing system.