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Blue skies are a rarity in Jakarta. On most days, residents of the capital are subjected to pollutants that are considered serious health hazards. During the dry season, pollution can get so bad that a continual haze hangs over the city like a blanket.

Much of this pollution is caused by motor vehicles. Although new emissions standards have been introduced, they are often not enforced, particularly for public transportation vehicles. Buses continue to spew thick black smoke from their badly maintained diesel engines.

Efforts have been made to reduce the level of pollution in the capital. Beginning in 2007, the Jakarta administration introduced a car-free day on the last Sunday of every month along Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin, which has since expanded to other areas. Starting this month, locations such as Old Town in West Jakarta, Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, Boulevard Artha Gading in North Jakarta, Jalan Pemuda in East Jakarta and Jalan Letjen Suprapto in Central Jakarta will hold car-free days at least twice a year.

These efforts have had some results, at least according to the city’s environmental agency, which declared that this year’s car-free days helped to improve air quality in Jakarta more than in previous years.

“The most recent measurement showed that the car-free days had helped to reduce dust particles by up to 40 percent, carbon monoxide was reduced by 63 percent and nitrogen monoxide by 71 percent,” said Rina Suryani, head of natural resources monitoring at the Jakarta Environmental Management Board (BPLHD).

Despite these claims, however, car-free days have minimal impact on air quality in Jakarta. The level of pollution may be reduced on a particular Sunday, but no doubt shoots straight back up as millions of vehicles take to the roads for the start of the work week.

City police data show that last year the number of vehicles in Jakarta rose to 9.9 million, including 133,000 public transportation vehicles, while the number of residents, based on data from the Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency, was 8.5 million. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment reported that the city produced 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide daily last year.

Clearly, concrete action needs to be taken if we are to tackle air pollution. For starters, authorities must move swiftly to crack down on public buses that are the biggest polluters. They must be replaced by cleaner hybrid buses. Tougher emissions standards must also be enforced for private vehicles to ensure that only cars that use unleaded gasoline are allowed on the roads.

Clean air is a basic right, just as clean water is. The government has introduced regulations to ensure that all citizens have access to clean air. But as the heavy smog that envelops the city on most days illustrates, enforcement has been weak or nonexistent. How long must Jakartans continue to endure these unacceptable conditions?