Financial Times

An effort to reduce vehicle emissions
Macro Auto Tech (Pvt) Ltd (MATL), Nawala has launched several programmes such as repairing motor vehicles to minimise emission as a prelude to emission standards being strictly enforced by the government from January 1, 2004.

Its programmes include a series of seminars to educate motorists, providing gas analysis and smoke testing with diagnostic reports and publication of instructions for vehicle owners.

This was announced by Mahinda Ratnayaka, Managing Director, MATL at a seminar the company organized recently on 'Strategies and approach to control vehicular pollution'. Ratnayaka said that people could not control natural causes of pollution, but could take precautionary measures.

Man made pollution caused by factories, automobiles, refineries, ships, aircraft and any other engine or equipment which burnt fuel to produce energy and burning of other material to generate heat, could be prevented.

Automobiles are the highest single contributor of man made pollution. In Sri Lanka the annual increase of pollution caused by automobiles is five percent. The major cause of environmental pollution by vehicles could be attributed to the incomplete combustion of fuel inside an engine due to several reasons.

The basic factors that could control the burning of fuel in an engine are: quality of the fuel used, condition of the engine and the proper usage of the engine. Ratnayaka said that they as automobile service industry people could only assist to minimize the possible pollution by emission and keep it below the emission levels prescribed by the government.

They would be unable to control quality of the fuel used and the proper usage of the engine which were the responsibilities of the government and the petroleum companies.

He said that the government should see that the petroleum companies strictly adhere to the standards set out by the government by ensuring that all filling stations must have leak proof storage tanks. This should be monitored constantly with daily reports on contamination.

Fuel standards maintained by all filling stations should be available for inspection. To control emissions the auto mechanics in this country needed the constant updating of technology and specifications of vehicles, spare parts at a reasonable cost, equipment and tools and training. (QP)

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