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Wiping out air pollution

Our disclosures yesterday on air pollution and its serious health implications should have made dismal reading for many a citizen. The disturbing truth is that more than 50 percent of Colombo's residents suffer from respiratory ailments resulting from heavy air pollution. Such is the price we pay for an increasing vehicular population - the principal source of air pollution.

Environmental and health hazards, such as air pollution, have been with us for quite some time but these problems are apparently being dealt with sporadically by the authorities. Right now, the air pollution crisis seems to be spiralling out of control, with complacency and inaction taking the place of a well thought out national policy on pollution control.

Besides the rising, unregulated vehicular population in the country, the best evidence of this is the lack of control over the pollutants which are permitted to pervade the environment. For instance, over 75 percent of local vehicles are diesel-powered and most of these use low-quality diesel which contain a high percentage of sulphur and lead.

In a highly environment-conscious country, such levels of pollution would be unthinkable. However, the seeming policy lacuna in the environment sphere, makes such irregularities possible.

In fact it is now known that the lead percentage in the city's air space is 85 times higher than the usually acceptable level. The result is a plethora of respiratory diseases among the city's population.

There is no getting away from the fact that anti-pollution laws and regulations should not only be framed taking all these factors into consideration, but firmly implemented, with a high degree of consistency. There is also the need to upgrade any obsolete laws on the environment, for, pollution is steadily on the increase.

The Government showed a degree of awareness of the environmental crisis by installing a Ministry of Environment. This is a laudable measure which should be followed up by swift, consistent moves to arrest the problem of environment pollution.

In taking on these problems we need to have our feet firmly planted on the ground. A high vehicular population is tolerable as long as a sound legal regime is in place to tackle the environmental fallout from traffic congestion.

For instance, smoke-belching, decrepit vehicles must be removed from our highways in terms of laws enacted for the purpose. Vehicle-owners must also be prohibited from using law-quality fuel.

Pollution levels in the environment must also be carefully monitored. The suitable equipment for this purpose must be installed and used efficiently, following a careful selection procedure. Funds should not be wasted on unusable equipment which end up suffering corrosion in State warehouses and institutions.

• Editorial of  The Observer - Rain and economy 01.02.2002:
  

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