Jakarta Post. Jakarta, Indonesia, Governor Sutiyoso said on Wednesday that all vehicles operating in the city should switch to compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of gasoline, in a bid to help reduce air pollution in the city.

Sutiyoso said that public transport and official vehicles belonging to the administration, central government and the military would be among the first subjected to the ruling.

“We will set an example by using gas fuel in the new busway project. In the future, all public transportation vehicles and other kinds of vehicles will be required to use [compressed natural] gas fuel,” Sutiyoso told reporters at City Hall after a hearing with the City Council to discuss draft bylaws on air pollution and investment. [...]

Several factions in the City Council shared a similar view with Sutiyoso over the urgency of the use of CNG to help reduce air pollution in the city. [...]

Air pollution in the city has reached an alarming level. According to city officials, the air in Jakarta was clean for just 51 days in the first eight months of 2004.

Vehicular emissions bear the brunt of 70 percent of air pollutants, leaving industrial emissions accounting for the remaining 30 percent.