Govt provides free emission tests ahead of UN conference

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

As part of a campaign to improve Bali's air quality and in connection with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held early next month, the Bali administration and the State Ministry for Environment will provide free emissions tests for vehicles on the island from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2.

"We hope in the future emissions tests will be made obligatory for motorists wishing to apply for or to extend their vehicle registrations," the ministry's Bali and Nusa Tenggara regional office head, Sudirman, said while launching the program in Kedonganan, Badung regency, on Monday.

The surging number of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles in Bali have deteriorated air quality on the resort island.

The administration, while acknowledging the serious problem, has not yet issued a regulation to ease the rise in vehicle ownership in the province, especially in the crowded Badung and Denpasar regencies.

Lacking a reliable public transportation system, Balinese have been forced to use private motorcycles and cars to go to work and school.

The tourism-based economy has also pushed up motorcycle sales on the island as foreign tourists prefer low-cost motorcycle rentals over hotel buses to explore Bali.

The Indonesian Motorcycles Association (AISI) has reported that Bali and Jakarta are two provinces with the most dense motorcycle population, with 2.8 to 3 people per motorcycle.

In Bali, one household could own three to five motorcycles. The number of vehicles on the island was less than 600,000 in 2002 but that figure has today soared to more than 1,400,000.

"We are all worried about the degradation of Bali's air quality," Bali governor Dewa Beratha said in his written statement, which was read by provincial secretary Nyoman Yasa.

"However, we can do something to stop it by conducting emissions tests on vehicles," the governor said.

Yasa said a lack of regulations, which could help slow down the pace of vehicle-ownership growth, was the main challenge for the province to improve its air quality and help prevent global warming.

"We are happy that Balinese people are enjoying economic growth, but we are also aware of its adverse impacts," he said.

He said in the future the administration would issue a regulation to limit the number of vehicles in Bali.

"I can't give you a specific date. But in time it will become necessary to issue such a regulation," he said.

He hinted Bali could possibly implement a progressive taxation scheme in which a person who owned more than one vehicle would have to pay higher taxes.

"This kind of regulation is applied overseas," he said.

The Bali administration has drafted a master plan of an integrated mass transportation service linking Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan regencies.

It is still unclear when the service, which is being referred to as the acronym Sarbagita, would be launched.

Bali is preparing for the UNFCCC, during which delegates of 191 nations would meet to draft the blueprint of a mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

All motor vehicles provided by the organizer of the conference in the Nusa Dua resort complex will run on biofuel, which is considered to be more environmentally friendly than regular fuel.

Agus Purnomo, an official from the environment ministry who heads the conference's organizing committee, has assured that tourists staying in hotels in Nusa Dua would not be disturbed by the security arrangements during the conference.